


I Need You Tonight

by QueenofDisaster



Category: Black Sails
Genre: 80s trash, Abuse, Alternate Universe - Modern, Anal Sex, Angst, Blow Jobs, Catholic School Ew, Drug Use, Drunken Shenanigans, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Hickeys for days, Homophobia, James is 24, John Silver in various leather, John is 18, M/M, Rimming, SO MUCH TEASING, Self-Harm, vinyls cool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-19 15:27:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9447512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenofDisaster/pseuds/QueenofDisaster
Summary: 80s universeSilver in hot pink leather pants and shameless 80s pop songs.Also angst because their relationship could never not have angst :/





	1. Pour Some Sugar On Me

**Author's Note:**

> Well hello!  
> So we are set in about 1988 and this is just the first meeting and I will tag as I go. Although it's all fluffy and nice now there will be angst further down the road ;) and you know, enjoy the image of Silver in pink leather pants :D

'What am I doing here?' Was his immediate thought. Shrouded by the icy darkness of midnight on a back London street, James clutched his coat tighter around his waist and mulled over the dubious life choices that had led him to this moment, to this place. 

And what a shit hole this place was.  
It resembled a forgotten public bathroom down a flight of stairs with wrought iron railings that had not seen care since their resurrection. Finally pulled out of the line of frozen club-goers, James trudged his way down said stairs with a keen sense of trepidation. It was not his first step into what he would call a 'dicey' establishment; as in his previous college years he had frequently been coerced through doorways and down alleys by his friends. Apparently he could learn to 'lighten up'.

This place however had a distinct...promiscuity surrounding it. It was not there unless you were looking for it; and he was. James didn't want to, but he was. 

So stepping through the narrow doorway, James had the harrowing feeling he could have just walked through the gates of Hades.

The music is what first swallowed him whole. The flashing lights chewed him up. And the pulsing bodies spat him out. 

The first two variables were commonplace. The song blaring was one he'd heard many times on the radio the past few months. The lights were not as bright as they had first seemed. But it was enough of a source to throw light across the clusters of dancing bodies. That was...decidedly different. Not the dancing...well maybe a little a bit the dancing. But the couplings were not any James frequently saw in bars and especially not in his daily life. 

Directly across from where James had sequestered himself, a giant of a man in a tight white t-shirt, that looked ready to bust its seems, had a man with sandy-blonde hair pushed up against the back wall. 

With one large hand buried in the smaller man's hair, they kissed each other with such ferocity and thinly veiled desire that James had to look away, face blooming red. Christ. Similar trysts were occurring in a scattered arrangement around the room. There was simply nowhere to look! 

 

With a sigh of frustration, James came to the conclusion that he was decidedly too sober to deal with his surroundings and made a dash for the bar, leaving his coat behind. He didn't even care if someone stole it, his asshole father had given it to him the previous year in a feeble attempt to smooth over recent clashes. Dickhead. James would be happy to see that fucking coat burn. 

For how crowded the floor was, James was pleasantly surprised he was able to slip into a stool at the bar. 

"What do you want?" A clipped voice asked him from behind the bar. An unequivocally pissed off looking red-headed woman quirked her eyebrow at him, further prompting him to speak.  
"Whisky." James replied, attempting to appear as harmless as possible lest she decide to use the knife clutched in her hand. Never in his life had he seen a person slice a lime with such malice. 

With a few whiskies under his belt, James felt a little more at ease. Turning to face the dance floor, James' eyes flitted over the mass of bodies that, the longer he looked, seemed to move as one. From his vantage point, James could see the couple again at the back wall. This time the smaller of the two was in front, hands wandering over his lover's chest and arms, with one leg snug between the other's thighs.  
"Mother of God." James muttered under his breath, skin flushing hot once more, elevated by the alcohol pumping through his blood. 

Turning away once again from the blatant display, he decided watching people dancing would be less lascivious. 

He was wrong as it turns out.

As the song turned over to something less pop and more rock (not that James was a fan of either), the crowd parted slightly, allowing him a direct line of sight to the middle of the dance floor where James' eyes froze. In the centre of the room was a man bared chested, clad in hot pink leather pants that stretched tightly over his thighs and cut into the juts of his hip bones. The man's chest twitched, muscles shifting as he danced. If you could call that dancing at all. It looked more like successive body rolls with a furious energy that took James' breath away a little bit. 

The man's hair bounced around as his moved, ringlets brushing over tanned shoulders. In a definitively filthy sway of his hips the man turned his back and James choked on his drink. The brightly coloured leather stretched over the tightess ass James had seen on this Earth. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. James was certain his eyes rolled back a little in his head.

A shot of desire heated his gut. He had never felt such an immediate, intense attraction to someone in his entire life, woman or man. 

He couldn't look away. He simply couldn't. It was like a car crash. 

Armed with the worst (best) luck on this planet, the man turned his way once more and caught his eye, a seductive smirk dancing across his unfairly beautiful face. He was like a beacon. It wasn't just the pants (but Jesus they helped), it was an unmistakable energy and natural grace in the way he rolled his body. James wasn't the only one with their eyes drifting towards him, but he was the only one whose gaze was being returned.

James swallowed thickly, mouth suddenly parched. His glass was empty however and to turn to order another, James broke that enthralling stare that threatened to carve a hole straight through him.  
As the hot-head bartender mixed his drink, James rubbed his eyes as if to erase the burn of that stare. He was honestly afraid to turn back around, because he didn't know if he would resist that siren call. 

"Hello." A voice prompted from beside him. James opened eyes to see none other than the accumulation of James' wet dreams as a teenager standing right in front of him, tan skin glistening with sweat and azure eyes sparking. On a side note, the pink leather was not a feature in said dreams but was an added bonus. 

"Hi." James replied and the man grinned, like James' voice was the greatest delight to him. 

"I saw you watching me." He said, taking a small step closer, so close James could smell the salt of his sweat and god forbid him, James wanted to chase that smell and taste his glowing skin. 

"Is that so?" He finally choked out, feigning confidence and casualty, even though he was currently half hard in his jeans. 

"Does my spectator have a name?" The grin seemed to spread, pulling something tight in James' chest. His voice lilted with an accent James was too distracted and too drunk to calculate right that second.

"James." He offered, extending his hand. The man took it without hesitation, his palm unbelievably soft and it made James wonder if all of his skin felt this way.

"John Silver." The man replied, thumb caressing the delicate skin of the inside of James' wrist with obvious intent. When he pulled back James seemed to catch up with himself and finally took into stock John Silver. He was stunning, in every sense of the word. But there was a roundness to his face that was more obvious when he smiled. 

"How old are you?" James found himself asking, eyebrow raised. John gave a cheeky grin and plopped himself down on a stool. James tried to ignore the way his stomach muscles rippled as he did so. 

"Legal." He replied, fingers fiddling with the silver chain around his neck.

"So, eighteen?" James prompted, unsure. John shrugged, taking a swig of James' abandoned drink without a flinch. James felt an amused smile tug at his lips. "Not a newcomer to stiff drinks I see." A questioning lilt in his voice made John throw back his head and laugh. 

"I've been drinking since I was thirteen." He shrugged, shuffling his stool a little closer. "It's not that uncommon, especially in my old neighbourhood." 

"And where would that be?" 

"Somewhere I'm sure you've never been since you've not mentioned my accent yet." John replied, tossing his hair behind his shoulders. 

"I'll admit I'm not very well-travelled. But London is a very diverse place, so I know I've heard you accent before but for the life of me I can't place it." John seemed endlessly amused by his ignorance. 

"Brisbane." He whispered like a secret. "Australia." He added, just in case. 

"I am not ashamed to admit that I know almost nothing about Australia aside from beer and INXS." James admitted with a chuff, which grew into a chuckle as John laughed. 

"Well, its in our constitution to love both whole-heartedly. Except I can't stand the taste of beer, no matter how cheap I can get it." James was instantly charmed by John's youthful exuberance and seemingly endless smiles. He could have anyone he set those glittering eyes on, that James was certain of. 

John shuffled off of his stool, landing so he was nestled between James' knees. James swallowed the saliva that filled his mouth at the sight of him. Looking up at him from dark lashes, John bit his lip, playing James like a fiddle. He was completely under his spell already, after a few smiles and polite conversation. He was fucked, honestly. 

"Do you want to come dance with me?" John asked quietly, almost timidly. He just looked so goddamned innocent, even in leather pants, it was astounding. James wanted to ruin him in the best possible way.

"Sure." He replied, because there was nothing else he could say. He needed to get closer. He needed to lose himself in the seductive energy that poured off of John's skin. John's face lit up in a smile, white teeth sparkling. He took James' hand and guided him back onto his stage in the centre of the room. 

James was not a dancer. He had never really danced before in his life. Not like this at least, and not with so many eyes on them. John must have sensed his apprehension, tugging James into the heat his body created. 

"Have you seen Dirty Dancing?" John spoke directly in his ear to combat the noise, lips brushing against him. The question stumped James for a second.

"Um, yes my friend Miranda dragged me to it." James recalled, earning an eye roll from John.

"Don't tell me you didn't like it." John's hands snaked distractingly up James' sides, ruffling his black t-shirt to reveal a small slip of skin above his jeans. 

"Well...I didn't hate it." James choked out as John's fingers found the space of exposed skin. John's hips were endlessly swaying with his, it was hard to concentrate honestly. 

"Patrick Swayze doesn't do it for you?" John smirked, taking James' hands and placing them gently on his hips. The feel of leather and skin made his heart race. John was so shameless in what he wanted, it was enthralling. 

"Okay, that was the part I didn't hate." James replied and John chuckled. 

"Didn't pick up any dance moves?" John simpered, his pace picking up as the song changed. Sudden confidence striking him, James tightened his grip on his hips, spinning him around until John's back was pressed up against his chest. Grabbing John's right wrist he slowly brought his arm up to tuck around James' neck. Already James could feel John's back shuddering with laughter. Unable to keep the grin off his face, he traced his fingers slowly down the length of John's outstretched arm and John squealed, spinning around to escape the tickle. He erupted in a fit of giggles, forehead dropping onto James' chest. 

"I can't believe you just did that!" He yelled over the music, absolutely delighted. John swayed back on his heels, stopped by James' hand on his naked waist. 

"Woah." John said, blinking his eyes to try and clear them.

"Easy there. Are you okay?" James spoke right into his ear. Half because of the music and the other half because John's thick hair smelled like vanilla. 

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." John replied, smile lop-sided. "I just haven't eaten anything in a while." He continued uncertainly. 

"Do you want to get some fresh air?" James offered and wordlessly John nodded. Dodging their way through the crowd of dancers, James guided John towards the exit, stopping briefly to grab his coat. Just as they were heading out John was stopped by someone calling his name. Turning around James' eyes widened as the back wall couple were weaving their way towards them. Luckily their faces were detached from one another this time. 

"Oi, John, are you alright?" The giant asked, casting James suspicious glances. The other man lurking beside him looked equally worried. 

"I'm okay, Billy. We're just going outside for a minute." John waved 'Billy' off, still holding onto James to keep himself steady. Jesus, he was fine not a few minutes ago. 

"Are you sure? Ben can drive you home." Billy cocked his head towards his companion who smiled reassuringly. Again John shook his head, tantalising curls bouncing. 

"No, I'm going outside with James. I'll be okay. I can stay with Max." Billy seemed ready to protest further but the mention of Max smoothed it over and he nodded. 

"I'll see you soon, then." Billy said, Ben curling up to his side. John gave them a wan smile, fingers digging slightly harder into James' arm. 

"I'll see you guys."  
James smiled briefly at the couple, trying to communicate that he was not trying to kidnap their friend. 

"Lets go outside before I puke." John said in a rush, all but dragging James upstairs.

 

Outside, James heard the distinct intake of breath from John as the cold air hit his bare chest. Trying desperately to not stare at the way it made his nipples tighten, James tucked his heavy coat around John's shoulders, helping him slip his arms through. 

"Thanks." John murmured, faced tipped towards the breeze. His skin looked slightly clammy, his breathing controlled and deep. 

"You sure you're alright?" James asked again, lighting himself a cigarette to warm himself since his coat was occupied. 

John leaned back against the same brick wall as James, eyes half closed. He hummed in response, which didn't sit right with James.

"Did you take anything?" James asked, blowing out a cloud of smoke. John rolled his shoulders to face James side on. 

"Maybe." John had a self-deprecating smile, but his eyes were hazy. "I know the person who I got it from, so I think I just am not used to it." John pressed his flushed face against the cool brick. 

"I can call you a cab to take you home." James suggested but John shook his head.

"I can't go home. I have to stay at Max's." John replied cryptically. 

"Where does Max live?" James took another drag, shivering slightly. John waved his hand toward the end of the street, faced now pressed into James' shoulder. 

"Down that way and around the corner." He mumbled.

"Well, that's handy." John chuckled in response looping his arm with James'. Most-likely he was holding onto James so his knees wouldn't buckle as they walked, but James wasn't complaining. 

"If I had the energy to be embarrassed, I would be." John said, head his resting on James' shoulder, jostling as they walked tucked closed together. 

"You don't have to be embarrassed." James reassured but John just groaned. 

"Ugh, you're just so posh and cute. I totally blew it." John sounded so petulant that James couldn't help but laugh, warmth curling in his chest. 

"I think I was more embarrassing when we were dancing." James nudged John lightly. 

"Not that bad. You're too sexy to be embarrassing." John smirked up at him.

"Keep it in your pants. Speaking of, I am honestly interested in how long it took you to squeeze yourself into these." James plucked at the waistband of John's leather pants. 

"They're much easier to take off, I assure you." John whispered, eyes tired but still glittering with mischief. 

"Jesus." James muttered, smiling as John's laughter bubbled. 

"What?" John's voice dipped low and James clenched his jaw. "Is there something wrong?" John's hand trail up his thigh, brushing across the crotch of his jeans, where James was working up to full hardness. 

"John." James growled in warning, and John just laughed, hand drawing away to point at a small set of units to their left. 

"Drop me here please." He smiled briefly before his eyes dropped. 

"John." He cautioned. John dropped his head to James' shoulder, face turned into his neck, warm breath tickling his skin. 

"James, I don't feel so good." He sounded upset and James twined his arms around his back, walking him the rest of the way to the intercom at the door. John briefly detached himself from James' front to press the buzzer next to Max's name. 

"John?" A distinctly female voice rang out. James did not expect Max to be a woman. 

"Yes, please come get me." John moaned into the speaker, much to James' amusement. After a minute the door swung open and a woman with long, curling hair and tanned skin cocked her hip against the door frame. 

"Oh mon cher, what have you done?" She said with a small smile. Her eyes flitted up to James and her smile grew.  
"And you've brought a stray." 

"Just getting him inside." James ducked under her gaze. John disentangled himself from James to stumble his way through the door. He took a stuttered step back and swung around to face James once more.

"Your coat!" He started pawing at it but James waved him off.

"Keep it. Honestly, I don't want it." John furrowed his brows for a moment before smiling, exhaustion causing him to fumble his way up the stairs, waving James goodbye. 

Once he was out of sight, Max turned back towards James with a sigh. 

"Thanks for bringing him home..." She trailed off and James realised he hadn't offered his name.

"Oh, uh James." She shook his hand and smiled brightly. 

"Thank you, James. Do you have any idea what he took?" She cocked her head to the stairs where John's leather ass had disappeared from. 

"No, I wasn't with him the whole time. Uh...he said he hadn't eaten anything all night." Max's eyes twinkled and for a moment she bore a stark resemblance to her friend. 

"I will make sure he eats something, even if I have to force it." She laughed and James' eyes crinkled with a smile. 

"Well, have a nice night." James stepped back, hands tucked into his jeans pockets. 

"Goodnight, James. I hope we'll be seeing more of you soon." Max replied, tying up her robe and watching him leave. James flushed red, trying to hide his smile. 

Hailing down a cab on the Main Street, James came to the sudden realisation that he had no real way to get in contact with John again. No address, no number, and he hadn't given his own to John either. 

Fuck.


	2. Just Keep Walking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John POV the next day :)  
> Where school is a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot! Second chapter!  
> So just a heads up all my chapter titles are going to be 80s jams :D  
> First chapter was Def Leppard 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and this one's INXS 'Just Keep Walking'  
> There a little bit of angst in here aswell for y'all cause none of us would be here if we didn't love the angst pirates :)

Max woke him up the next morning with a swift kick in the ass, a smile, and two painkillers. Groaning obscenities and cursing her existence, John curled under the duvet, wriggling into the groove of the couch to somehow make himself a permanent resident.

"John! I am not your mother." Max's rolling accent and high voice grated in John's ears. He was endlessly in debt to Max for allowing him to use her apartment as an oasis. And for all she had done over the past three years to acclimate him to London and make sure he had a support system of friends to reach out to. But, right that second...John wished he could dig himself a hole and plant his head in it just for some peace and quite from her, and a little more rest.

The sun was burning through the blinds, slicing John's retinas when he finally managed to unstick his eyes. 

"Fuck." He groaned to himself. Shuffling into the small attached kitchen, John swallowed the pills with a large intake of coffee. He was going to need it. 

"John, you better be eating something in there besides coffee!" Max called out shrilly from her bedroom. He caught glimpses of her through her doorway, darting around the room, slipping on shoes and braiding half her hair. 

"I thought you weren't my mother!" John yelled back, smirking over his cup of coffee as Max shot him a warning glare. 

"I'll mother you if need be. You have school in half an hour, mon cher, I suggest you move your ass!" 

 

Ah, St Andrew's Catholic College. A secondary educational establishment to some, a pit of lonely despair for others. High school was rough for everyone. But John Silver was as gay as they come, trapped in a Catholic school surrounded by preachy homophobes. It was what he imagined hell to be. 

He shuddered just thinking about ascending those stone steps to Hades. 

"That school can eat my ass, honestly. Catholic school beats Catholicism out of you, if you ever had any in you." John groused, pulling his dark grey school slacks out of his duffel bag. Glancing back at Max's empty doorway, John changed out of his sleep pants.

"I know most of them would have the fear of God in their hearts, taught to them by 'loving parents' at a young age -" Max piped up just as John slipped his wrinkled white button up over his shoulders. Toothbrush hanging out of her mouth she continued. "But surely, hundreds of hormonal boys in one place. You've got to be getting something right?" 

John rolled his eyes so hard they hurt.  
"You'd be surprised how insecure all those shits really are. I've got some inklings about a few people. But I know they're all too shit scared of Father Donovan and the big guy upstairs to make any sort of move." John shook his head, adjusting his navy and white tie. 

"Plus, I never, ever make any suggestions. I run the risk of getting my ass seriously kicked and I've grown quite fond of it." Max gave a gurgled laugh through the foam in her mouth and John wrinkled his nose at her. She spat out into the kitchen sink and smirked at him. 

"Speaking of, that young gentlemen who brought you home last night seemed very 'fond' of your ass too." Her voice dripped with insinuation and John grinned.  
He hadn't even had time to think about it. 

"I don't remember a lot about last night. But I remember him vividly." 

Specifically his warm smile, the breadth of his callused hands around his waist and the deep thrum of his voice that risked putting John in a coma it was too sexy for him. 

"You going to see him again?" Max untucked her hair from under the collar of her jacket as she passed him. Stuffing his shirt into the top of his pants, John groaned.

"I was not really in the state of mind to ask him out. Besides, I have no idea how old he is! He looked twenty-something but it was dark!" John didn't really care if James was thirty, but a hot older guy would not want to be seen hanging around someone still in high school. He certainly wouldn't if he were James. 

"I would say early twenties." Max assured him, rifling through her handbag. John handed her the keys she'd been looking for with a smug smile and after hesitating, picked up James' navy coat and slipped into its warmth. 

Kissing Max on the cheek, John hopped over the stair railing and ran out the door. If he missed this bus then he would be late and the bitch at student reception would never let him live it down. 

Jumping on the bus with seconds to spare, John dodged his way through his fellow miserable students to the back. A group of tenth graders sneered at him as he walked past and he rolled his eyes. A couple of girls from St Rita's were giggling to each other as he took a seat behind them. 

St Rita's girls were notoriously boy crazy. Which was not all their fault since they had no outlet in an all girls school. But this particular group of grade elevens had set their sights on John months ago, sucked in by the novelty of his accent and his hair which he'd inherited from his mother's side. 

"Hi, John." A girl named Samantha peaked over the seat. 

"Hi guys." He grinned. He was a little flattered by their attention, even if he had no interest in them in any romantic sense. 

Another girl whose name had escaped him turned to face him.  
"Big night last night, John? You're looking a bit rough." 

John could help but laugh. If only they knew.  
"You could say something like that." He replied ambiguously, fuelling their interest in his secrecy. "Isn't this your stop?" 

All three girls jumped from their seats, giving him a brief wave before piling out of the bus. John sighed in relief, his headache still throbbing behind his eyes. Tying his hair back with great reluctance (school rules) a whiff of James' cologne caught in his nose and he hummed. The scent clung to the collar of his coat and John relaxed back into his seat so that he could press his face into the smell and lose himself in the memory for the rest of the ride. 

 

Slipping through the masses, John kept his head down, gunning straight for form class. Sequestering himself in the back corner, John tucked James' coat around the back of his chair. Unfortunately that drew the attention of his form teacher Mrs Henry. 

"Do you not know how to use an iron, Mr Silver? Your mother won't be there to do your laundry in the real world." Her eyes wrinkled as she gave him a thin-lipped smile, that made John cringe. He could call to attention that his mother was dead. But, that would bring unwanted attention his way as the class filled up. 

Receiving no response, Mrs Henry just scoffed, spinning on her heel.  
"Alright quieten down." Her sharp, tinny voice demanded. Even so, the room took a few minutes to settle into a quiet murmur. 

Muldoon slumped down into the seat beside John with a sigh. 

"Her voice makes me suicidal." He grunted and John shot him a grin. Muldoon was John's only friend at St Andrew's and the only other student he knew who shared his...inclination. 

"Is that your jacket?" Muldoon cocked his head to John's chair and he couldn't help the blush that crept onto his face. Muldoon' face split in a knowing smile.  
"Whose is it?" 

"James'." John whispered as Mrs Henry called roll. 

"Details please. You know I love to live vicariously through you." 

"You wouldn't have to if you would come out with me. I can introduce you to some people." John offered and Muldoon scoffed.

"You know my parents monitor my every move. I promise, as soon as the years over and I'm out of that house, you're taking me out." Muldoon chewed on the end of his pen, blocking out Mrs Henry reading out the morning prayer. 

"Anyway, back to the point. Who? What? When? Where?" John smothered laughter in his hand lest he endure Mrs Henry's wrath or worse, her lectures. 

Leaning closer for privacy, John's smile glittered.  
"Well all I really know is that his name is James and is possibly early twenties I'm not sure." Muldoon urged him to continue.  
"He is so fit I can't stand it. He's so tall and muscled and he's got red hair." At Muldoon's expression John waved him off.  
"Which usually isn't really my thing but Jesus...Muld. We danced a little and he was a bit nervous which was adorable. Then I made an ass of myself and he walked me to Max's." 

"Did you ask him out?" Muldoon looked excited and John sighed. 

"No...and I didn't get his number either or his last name!" John had no idea how he would find James again in a city as large as London. It was almost impossible. He would have to keep going to the same bar as the night before until James came by again. 

"That sucks man, sorry."  
The bell rang and most of the class filed out with the teacher. 

"See you in English." John called out to Muldoon. 

 

"You two tied the knot yet?" A smarmy voice rang out loud in the now full classroom. John wanted to scream in frustration. 

"Hilarious." John sat back in his chair, looking up at Dufresne, the lowliest piece of shit John had ever met. He had a permanent sneer on his face and the wankiest glasses in existence, which gave John and Muldoon endless material to take the piss. 

"You too good for Muldoon? You think quite highly of yourself."

"Eat my ass, Dufresne. I know deep down that's what you really want." A few choked laughs rang out in response and Dufresne's lip curled. 

"You're disgusting, Silver." Dufresne snarled at him, knocking his books off his desk as he passed. John laughed. That was it? That's all? Pathetic. Before Dufresne could react the teacher walked in, silencing the group and John was grateful. Every second spent on that shit was a second wasted. 

 

The rest of the school day was an endless drag and John practically ran out at the last bell. Taking the winding stone stairs to the main bus stop in a leisurely stride, John let his mind drift back to James for the hundredth time that day. 

In his reverie, John didn't hear the approaching steps from behind until a firm hand slammed into the centre of his back, sending him toppling the last few stairs. John put his hands out to stop himself just in time as he hit the rough stone landing with a groan. 

Turning into his side, John caught sight of Dufresne and his friends snickering as they stepped over him with a cheery. "Careful there, John. You could've broken your neck!" 

"Wankers." John growled, getting to his feet. Looking down at his hands, he let out a hiss between his teeth as the sight of his bloodied hands which had taken the brunt of his fall. Hoisting his bag up into his shoulder with his wrist, he came to the startling conclusion that his wrist was also sprained. Fantastic.

And he'd missed the bus. 

 

Admitting defeat, John decided to walk the rest of the way home. Curling his hands to keep their state concealed lest someone try and stop him to question him about it, John felt more than miserable. He ducked his head against the icy breeze sweeping through the streets, just wishing for this day to be over. 

While waiting at a set of lights, John spotted him. Holy shit. It was James! He had just stepped out of a cafe, takeaway cup in hand and was tangling a maroon scarf around his neck.

The light went off and John stepped out onto the road, eyes transfixed on James who was heading his way. Fuck. He couldn't let James see him right now. Not now! 

Too late. 

Just as he stepped up onto the footpath James looked up and stopped. With a sheepish smile John meandered over to him. 

"Hey." He stated lamely and it seemed to bring James back down to Earth. 

"Nice coat." James teased with that same warm smile. John laughed, stepping out of the way of pedestrians, James following soon after. 

"Yeah, I kind of hijacked it. Here-" John started slipping out of it but James stopped him with a smile.

"Honestly keep it. It was a gift that I did not want. Keep it. It looks good on you." John felt his cheeks heat and James must have noticed because he chuckled, eyes crinkling. 

"You were a lot less shy last night." He continued his teasing. 

"I must have made such an as out of myself, I'm so sorry. It was nice of you to walk me to Max's." John's cheeks were still aflame, but James seemed to like it. 

"Don't even worry about it." James chuckled, fingers restlessly twisting his coffee cup. He was wearing a black coat this time, over a dark green button up that looked fantastic against his skin and short ginger hair. 

A stray curl brushed across his own face and without thinking, John reached up to brush it away. In an instant James' eyes narrowed on the crimson stains and oozing cuts and scrapes. 

"Christ!" He half-yelled, looking a bit sheepish himself when passers-by gave him a glance for his outburst. 

"How did that happen?" He leaned a little closer and John tucked his hands into the coat pockets with a shrug. 

"Tripped down the stairs at school, landed on my hands." James' brow furrowed, a small line appearing above his nose that John couldn't help but find endearing. The expression on his face was dubious, obviously not believing the blatant lie he'd just told. Fortunately he didn't press him on it further. 

"I've got a first-aid kit at my flat, it's just around the corner." James motioned to the direction he was originally heading before John delayed him. 

"Really it's okay. I don't want to trouble you." John tried to be polite but James was having none of it. 

"You can't walk about with blood all over you, people will think you've murdered someone." James snarked, his grin dimpling his smooth cheek.  
John shook his head, but he was grinning. 

"Fine, I fold." James' face lit up like he'd seen the sun for the first time, causing a pleasant warmth to radiate through his stomach. 

"Perfect! It's this way." James nudged him gently to follow him.


	3. Never Tear Us Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James' apartment.  
> Smiles, blushes and records.
> 
>  And then I had to ruin it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm obsessed with INXS this chapter is titled after their classic 'Never Tear Us Apart' mostly because of the line  
> "I was standing, you were there. Two worlds colliding, and they could never tear us apart."  
> Which is just ugh my feels!  
> This chapter gets a little darker - with reference to past self harm and on going abuse (I'm sorry)

James' flat was overstuffed with furniture, arranged in the minimal space like Tetris blocks. But it felt warm, very personalised. Like a real space to call home. 

John hadn't had that in a long time. His memory of his old house in the suburbs of Brisbane had long faded to glimmers of images and feelings. Hot summers and tall trees. The sight of his mother, sipping sugary tea on the back verandah, legs tucked up to her side, just listening to the birds that only ever seemed to come out at dawn. The smile she would give him when she caught him watching, her comforting hand pulling him on to her lap and tucking his curls behind his ears.

 

They'd moved so much after that house. 

His room now at his step-dad's had bare walls and few personal items confined to boxes pushed under his bed.  
He wasn't allowed to wreck the walls with posters and Jonas hated unnecessary clutter and mess. 

But mess to him meant comfort. 

Space and silence were a yawning abyss. But that was how he now lived. 

 

James left John in the living room to get settled while he rummaged around in his bathroom for the first-aid kit. 

Maybe there was no first-aid kit and this was all just a rouse to get him up to his apartment? 

John felt surprisingly okay with that. 

Duffel bag tucked behind his legs, John sank back into James' plush couch with a pleased hum. Eyes flitting around the space revealed an unimaginable amount of books filling cherry wood shelfs that lined the walls. John could smell paper and ink even from where he was sitting, and it made him smile. 

There was an old hardcover open, sides folded out, facing down on the table to keep its place. John wanted to flip through its yellowing pages, but it felt intrusive. He settled for swiping his thumb over the indented design on the rust red cover. 

Pushed under the TV cabinet was a plastic basket, filled to bursting with records. John couldn't help but squeeze himself into the small space between the coffee table and the wall, pulling records out from their place to fawn over. 

Pulling the tie from his hair, John shook his head to loosen his curls so that they fanned over his face as he flicked through the collection. Unintentionally, John had put a few aside while he kept looking. Just a few he wanted to look at a little longer. 

 

John was in his flat. How had that even happened? How had they found each other so soon? It was more than a coincidence, it was a fucking miracle! 

Hal had given him his first-aid kit as a house warming present. James really would have preferred a fern or a frying pan.

Stumbling back into the lounge, kit tucked under his arm, James stopped in his tracks, heart thundering in his chest.

John was sitting cross-legged in the corner of the room, delicious curls free from their confines and brushing against the records he was inspecting closely. He wore a smile that was trying to be quelled, but seemed to need to burst out. 

He was not particularly thrilled that he would have to break this perfect silent moment, but even from where he stood he could see the way John's hands were curled in pain, blood drying. 

"I found it." James stated and John jumped out of his skin, pulled straight out of his head. John bit his lip, casting the mess of records a guilty glance. 

"Don't worry about it. Come here." James said gently and even though he said it was okay, John hurriedly attempted to straighten the records, leaving the small pile he'd made. 

 

Sitting on the couch, James perched on the edge of the coffee table so that their knees locked, bringing them close. John held out his hands and winced just looking at them. 

"This will most likely sting." James warned, smirking a little. 

"I've got a high pain tolerance." John retorted, seeming indignant. James wiped the anti-bacterial towel across the biggest of the scrapes on the palm of John's left hand. John made a small noise in the back of his throat at the stinging burn. 

"Easy." James murmured quietly, his voice unwinding some of the tension in John's shoulders. John squeezed his eyes shut and made no further noise as James' cleaned his hands thoroughly. 

"Okay, worst part over." James voice was light and John turned his hands over, inspecting the scrapes and cuts.  
"Some of them are quite deep." James commented and John shrugged.

"The whole school is stone." James chuckled, sticking a few band-aids around John's fingers. 

"Yeah, well, wasn't really expecting to see you in a school uniform." John winced. "But I suppose it was always a possibility considering your age." James teased and John was stunned at his lack of discomfort. 

"You don't care?" John asked, noticing that James' hand was still brushing against his. It was distracting. 

"What? That you're in school? Not particularly. You've only got a few months left, don't you?" John nodded, eyes drifting towards their hands, James' fingers brushing against his knuckles. 

"How old are you?" John said, quite bluntly and if his hands weren't in their current state he would be covering his face. 

"Twenty-four in December." James replied with that teasing smile. John ducked his head, hair covering his eyes. 

"You think I'm old, don't you?" James laughed at the way John's head snapped up, his jaw hanging open. 

"No, I don't!" John protested vehemently. 

"I was just teasing." James knocked their knees together, laughing softly. John flushed a little in his cheeks and James was so charmed by this creature that tumbled into his sights, he felt a little overwhelmed. 

"My mother married a guy nine years older than her." John offered and James raised both eyebrows, mouth turned up. 

"Your dad?" 

"Step-dad." John said with a shrug, smile dropping. Pushing up the sleeve of his school blazer, John swore under his breath at the time. Maybe if he started walking now he would make it home before Jonas locked the doors for the night. 

"Something wrong?" James' warm palm touched his knee and John blew out a breath. 

"I have to go." He said, regretfully. How he wished he could continue to bask in the endless light that was James' company. He wanted to curl up with him on his couch, in his bed. His hands were begging to touch him, but he still didn't know if it was welcome. Maybe James just felt sorry for him and was too nice to let him walk off in his state.

"I should probably head off to get home in time." John stood, James following his motion. 

"I can drive you home, if you like. It's started to rain outside." John hesitated, feeling like he was stepping his bounds, asking too much of James. But he seemed earnest, genuine, not obligated. 

"Okay, thanks." John pulled on his coat, hand raking through his hair. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw James watching the movement intently and he smirked. 

"Oh, hey-wait a second." James handed him the pile of records John had been pouring over, with a smile. "You seemed very attached to these so...you should get to listen to them. You have a record player, right?" 

John's face lit up like the sun, clutching the records to his chest.  
"I have a player, yeah, but are you sure? What if I scratch them?" 

"You won't scratch them." James said on a laugh, grabbing his keys. "I trust you. Plus, you could always make it up to me?" James' grin was plain mischievous and John helplessly followed him out like a love-sick puppy, his treasured items tight in his arms. 

 

John directed James to pull up a few houses down. If Jonas was waiting for him and had seen James...there would have been questions.

"When can I see you again?" John turned his sparkling blue eyes to James, fingers fiddling with the buttons of his coat. God, he made him nervous. But so bold at the same time, it was exhilarating. "You know, to give your records back?" 

James' face bloomed into one of the most beautiful smiles, his ginger hair falling across his freckled cheeks and all anxiety left John in a flood. 

"Whenever you like." He replied, and John bit his lip to hide his giddiness. "We never exchanged numbers, last night. I've been agonising over it since then." 

John's gaze flitted over to his house and his lips turned down.  
"Uh...I live with my step-dad. I have an extension in my room but..." 

"Questions would be raised if some strange man was calling for you in the middle of the night?" James finished for him and John shrugged. 

"Wait, why would you be calling me in the middle of the night?" John titled his head and was perplexed to see a deep flush work its way down James' neck, until he made the connection and laughed. 

"Interesting." He murmured, giving James a once over, thoughts suddenly muddled with the fantasy of hearing James pant and moan from the other side of the phone.

"And what if I wanted to call you in the middle of the night?" John smirked at the way James swallowed, gaze flickering over John's face and down his body. Oh, this was interesting. The same guttural fire that burned between them last night was back. John hummed, causing James' eyes to lose focus for a minute before he scrambled to write his number down on the back of a receipt and hand it over. 

"Why thank you, James." John purred, tucking the number into his pocket. "I guess you'll be hearing from me soon." 

Just as John moved to open the door, James' hand on his arm stopped him, pulling him back into his seat. He felt one of James' soft hands gently grasp his chin and turn his head so that there was a mere inch separating them. John gasped, the sound echoing between them. 

"Is this okay?" James rumbled, his voice dropping lower and John whimpered at the sound of it. Unable to take the space between them any longer, James' mouth met his in a tender, almost chaste kiss. 

Before James could draw back, John hooked his arm around his neck, fingers plunging into his hair, holding tight to bring their mouths back together in a spine-tingling meeting of teeth, lips and tongues. 

John was breathless, head feeling light. But breathing meant stopping, and John never wanted this to end. Who cared if the neighbours saw, John was addicted to the taste of James. 

"Christ." James moaned as they drew apart with a slick sound. John's tongue grazed James' full bottom lip, and with a sigh they fell back into the kiss. James full-out moaned when John's fingers scratched across his scalp, tugging on fiery red hair. John's gut was swirling, clenching and unclenching as his arousal was stoked by breathy gasps and a hot tongue plunging into his mouth. 

"John." James sighed against his lips, their foreheads pressed together. 

"James." He countered, equally as breathless, a smile tugging his lips. "Jesus Christ." He huffed out a laugh, sucking his own lip between his teeth, leaning out of James' space.

"I was just about to say the same thing." James' voice cracked halfway through his sentence, drawing an honest to god giggle from John, although he tried to smother it in his hand. 

They sat back and just looked at each other for a while as their breaths evened out. John was endlessly pleased to see James' hair mussed up from the drag of his fingers. He looked utterly debauched after a few kisses and there was an obvious bulge in his jeans that John longed to just reach over a squeeze, just a touch. But the sun would be setting soon and John didn't have much time. 

"I have to go." He sighed, picking up the discarded records and shouldering his duffel. James nodded, still slightly winded from their tryst. 

"Call me." James replied, squirming in his seat, trying to adjust himself. 

John ducked out of the car, poking his head back in to say with a lascivious grin - "Think of me later."  
He cocked his head towards James' lap and burst into bubbling laughter when he blushed red. 

 

Stepping through the front door, John couldn't tamp down the grin that split his face. He could still feel a tingle on his lips from James. Sneaking through the hallway and into his room, John closed the door behind him and sank back against it. He rubbed a hand over his face, biting down on his lip to quell his excitement. 

Unintentionally, John's hand found its way to the top of his thigh, fingers edging close to his clothed cock. He wondered if James would get home and do the same thing. He wondered if James would race up to his flat, collapse onto his couch, or his bed, and shove his hand down his jeans, thinking of John. 

John groaned, pushing off from his door to flop onto his bed. Hips squirming against the pressure of his mattress, John closed his eyes. He imagined James reclined back on John's bed, shirt tossed onto the floor and jeans unzipped. He wondered if the freckles on his face extended over his body. 

In his mind, James was resting on his arm tucked behind his head, stretching the muscles in his chest. Suddenly, John was climbing into his lap, James' wide palms cradling his naked hips, sweeping over his thighs. 

But that's where the fantasy ended and John was ripped back to the present, with the realisation that it would never happen. 

With a frustrated sigh, John pulled at his tie, tossing it aside. Crawling to the edge of his bed, he divulged himself of his shoes, blazer and shirt, until he was sitting in his trousers. 

He sat there for a while, breathing slowly. Unbuttoning his pants, John slid them down his legs, taking his boxers with them. Again he sat there, naked for a few minutes before he dared to look down. His thumb brushed over the systematic lines of scars the travelled down from the bone of his hip to the top of his thigh. 

The marks were a few years old, but the skin shimmered in the light, taunting him with their stubborn permanence on his body. 

He could never have James like he wanted to. James would take one look at him and recoil in disgust. 

Eyes burning, John pulled on fresh clothes. Just as he had settled back into his bed, he heard a thump from the hallway and a jumble of curses. His door rattled and burst open, revealing his haggard step-dad. His eyes were blood-shot and he could barely keep his head straight. 

John couldn't help the curl of his lip in disgust at the sight of him, drunk off his ass and smelling like a gutter. 

"Where the fuck have you been?" Jonas' voice was slurred but loud, his brow furrowed tight. 

John sighed, starting to pack his duffel bag with clean clothes.  
"Max's" He answered, reluctantly. Jonas gave a derisive snort, stepping into the room. 

"That girls too beautiful to be hanging around a miserable fuck like you,son." He laughed.

"I'm not your son." John growled. 

"The law would say otherwise." Jonas sneered. 

"Well, I'm eighteen. You have no claim over me." John shuffled further down his bed as Jonas stepped closer. 

"Yeah, and how are you going to pay for school, you little shit? Or food? Clothes? If you move out that all goes away. Good luck graduating with no way to pay for it, while you're living off scraps on the street." John huffed out furious breaths through his nose. He knew he was right. He was stuck there. 

At his silence, Jonas cackled, his breath reeking of rum.  
"You know it's the truth, I can see it on your face." John flinched back when his hand got too close to his face and Jonas snorted.  
"You're nothing how your mother wanted you to turn out." 

"Don't you fucking talk about her!" John screamed, spit flying from his mouth. "She wasted every fucking second she spent on you-" 

John was cut off by a harsh slap across the mouth that sent him sprawling. Sucking in a shuddering breath, John spat out blood from his mouth where his teeth had cut open his lip. 

Jonas was suddenly standing over him, chest heaving and John glared up at him, blood staining his mouth. 

"Fuck you." John spat and with gurgled shout, Jonas' fist struck down on John's cheek with a sickening smack. 

John went down and stayed down. He was conscious, but getting up would mean another hit and he didn't know if would get up from another one. 

Jonas stumbled out of his room, slamming the door shut behind him. With a suppressed scream that sounded more like an animal growl, John jumped up to throw the lock. After a second he tucked his desk chair under the knob, locking it in place. 

Adrenaline subsiding, the pain in his cheek and mouth burned. A sob bubbled up in his chest and spilled over.  
"Fuck." He sank to the ground, hands fisted in his hair, trying to regain control of his breathing. 

Once his heart stopped tripping over itself, deep exhaustion flooded through him. 

Reaching onto his bed, John picked up one of James' records. It was INXS, their new album too, the one John hadn't had a chance to get his hands on. 

Slipping it reverently out of its case, John placed the needle onto the spinning vinyl, music pouring softly out of the speakers. 

John laid back on the floor, head resting on his duffel and eyes closed, unwanted tears escaping. 

Closing his eyes, John let the music lull him into a trance. 

He fell asleep later that night, still lying on the floor, a record turning idly in the player, forgotten.


	4. (I Just) Died In Your Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John has gone MIA and everyone's freaking out !!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from the song 'I just died in your arms' by the cutting crew - another 80s jam 
> 
> So this chapter is a little bit longer than the others and I seriously had to force myself to stop at the end, honestly.

A sense of deja vu pulled at the corners of his mind as he descended those same stairs he'd reluctantly been shuffled down just one week prior. 

This time though, James was not so taken aback by the scene laid before him inside. The music was loud, but familiar, the lights, not so blinding. Scanning the crowd, James huffed out a sigh. 

He hadn't seen or heard from John since he'd driven him home. After he'd handed over his number, and had finally kissed John the way he'd wanted to that first night, James had been practically attached to his phone. Every noise in his apartment sounded like that first shrill ring. But it never came. 

Doubt was thick within him. Had he pushed too far? John was so young, smart, independent, but still eighteen. Perhaps John had decided that this was not what he wanted? That James wasn't who he wanted? 

While the thought filled him with heavy dread, he could accept that. But he needed to know John was okay first. If he found him and John didn't want to see him again, James would back off. 

Although John wasn't in the crowd, he decided that he would stay for a few drinks, just in case he caught sight of that mop of black curls.

 

Sitting alone with his whisky, James stirred the ice idly around the glass, mind elsewhere. It was his third of the night, and still no sign of John. Just as he was ready to admit defeat, someone sat down on the stool across from him. 

Hope bloomed briefly in his chest. But one glance revealed that it was in fact not John, but the giant - Billy? Sighing, James tossed back the remainder of his whisky, reveling in the burn at the back of his throat. 

"Expecting someone else?" Billy smirked, arms resting on the table between them. James chuckled bitterly. 

"How'd you guess?" James smirked back. Billy grinned, leaning back in his chair. Billy's boyfriend Ben, chose that moment to squeeze his way through the crowd, two drinks held high, and seat himself in Billy's lap. 

Billy's arms dropped onto his thighs, keeping him balanced while Ben placed the drinks carefully onto the table before pecking Billy on the lips. 

"Oh, hi!" Ben seemed to suddenly notice James presence and he smiled genuinely. "You're John's friend!" 

"That would be me." James said, although it felt flat in his mouth. He didn't know what he was to John anymore. 

"Yeah, where have you been hiding him? We haven't seen him since the last time you were here?" Billy asked, amusement curling his voice. Ben rested his elbow on Billy's shoulder, chin pillowed in his hand, smirking at James. 

"Wait." James was confused. "You haven't seen him?" 

Both men shook their heads, their smiles thinning. 

"So, he hasn't been with you?" Billy pressed, casting Ben furtive glances, a silent communication flowing between them. 

"No, I saw him the day after." James shook his head. 

"Did you do something?" Billy pushed and James scoffed. 

"No! I didn't do anything. Not intentionally at least. I drove him home, he was fine, we were fine." Both Ben and Billy's faces dropped so suddenly, James' heart thumped in his chest. 

"What? What?" James was starting to panic. They shared another heavy gaze and Billy cleared his throat. 

"You dropped him at his step-dad's? Not Max's?" Billy seemed nervous and James was close to pulling out his hair in frustration. 

"Yes! What? Just tell me." James begged. Billy sighed, rubbing his large hand over his face. 

"John's disappeared like this before. A few months ago. It really wasn't like him to drop off the face of the Earth like that. So, we went looking for him after three days of no word." Billy blew out a breath and Ben's eyes cast down to his drink, chewing on his lip. 

"You found him? Where?" James prompted. 

"We turned up at his house. His step-dad's car wasn't there. We knew he was a total asshole from what John had told us. He hardly ever talks about him...it's usually when he's drunk off his ass. But we had no idea..." 

"Billy." James warned, heartbeat pounding in his ears over the music. 

"John opened the door after ten minutes of us knocking and calling out to him." Ben's hand curled around the back of Billy's neck, offering a reassuring touch.   
"His eye was swollen shut and he had bruises everywhere." 

James raked a hand through his hair, shocked into silence momentarily.

"His step-dad did that?" Billy nodded sombrely. 

"We brought him home with us. He'd been skipping school, avoiding us all so we wouldn't know. Max came over and apparently, it wasn't the first time it had happened." Billy looked haunted by the memory, and that sent chills down James' arms. 

"We have to go find him, right?" James was already slipping into his coat, fingers shaking. 

"Hey, it was James right?" Billy was holding onto his arm. "Listen, if we rush over there and drag him out of his house, we'll only make things worse." 

But he could be hurting him right now? How could they think of letting him stay one more night with that asshole? 

"I can't do nothing." James' eyes were brimming. He was not an overly emotional person, but the thought of John; smiling, cheeky John, being tormented, even abused...that was too much for him. 

"Listen, James. We don't know if this is what's going on, okay? We'll go talk to Max. If anyone would know, it's her." James nodded slowly, swaying on his feet. Those three whiskies may have been closer to five. 

"Okay, let's go." Billy still had a grip on his arm, and James was grateful for the extra balance. Ben rounded over to his other side, and although he did not take his arm, he gave James a reassuring smile, offering silent assistance if James would need it. 

 

It wasn't Max who opened the door, but the red-headed bar-tender from the club. She looked somewhat softer wrapped up in a silk dressing gown. Although her glare still pierced. 

"What the fuck do you's want? It's the middle of the night." She snarled, arms crossed over her chest. 

"Anne, is Max here? It's urgent." Billy said, still holding onto James' arm. 

"What's going on?" Max padded her way down the stairs, knotting her own gown, brow furrowed at the sight of them. 

She stopped next to Anne, fingers curled around the doorway, looking tense. Her dark gaze passed over the three of them intently for a moment. 

"Where is John?" Her accent made the emotion thick in her voice and her brown eyes were wide. 

"Fuck." James groaned in response. 

"Nobody's seen him since Wednesday...when James took him home." Billy recounted, emphasising the end of his sentence. 

Max's brows twitched down and she cursed under her breath.   
"Alright, come in all of you. Especially you." She pointed at James, who was flushed with alcohol and unsteady on his feet. 

Gratefully, they climbed the stairs to Max's apartment, Anne silently bringing up the rear.

Billy helped dump James into a heap on the couch before settling on the arm, Ben leaning against his side. Anne wandered into the kitchenette, firing up the kettle. 

Max stood before all three men, imposing, even when scarcely clothed. 

"Alright." She stated, before settling onto the coffee table. "James, focus." She snapped her fingers in front of his face. 

"I am conscious." He grumbled. 

"Yes, well, not for long." She gave him a once over, resigned to his state. "James, what happened on Wednesday?" 

"I just bumped into him after he left school. His hands were all cut up - he said he fell down the stairs." Max's lips thinned at that.   
"My flat was just around the corner. So I patched him up. He seemed fine to me. Then he said he had to get home, I offered him a ride. He was smiling when he got out of the car. How was I supposed to know that something would happen?" James voice rose with desperation and Max shushed him. 

"Mon cher, do not agonise over this. John Silver is good at hiding things, especially feelings, from those around him. It is how he survives." James nodded, watching his hands in his lap. 

"If something has happened, god forbid...then we will have to reconvene in the morning." James opened his mouth to protest but Billy stopped him with a shake of his head. 

"Nothing can be done right now. John will be okay for tonight." That last part was aimed mostly at James, whose head had drifted to the other arm of the couch, eyes half mast. 

"We can take him back to ours." Ben offered to Max, but she waved him off. She sighed down at the man whose eyes had finally drifted shut. 

"He is hopeless over John already." She murmured, smiling despite the situation. Billy snorted in response. 

"He wanted to race right over there as soon as we told him." Billy shook his head. Anne came out of the kitchen, handing Max a cup of tea. 

Fingers curled around the steaming mug, she observed Billy quietly for a moment. 

"John will be upset that you told him." She reminded. 

"I know." He said on a sigh, drawing an arm around Ben's shoulders. "Call us if you hear anything. Or if you need anything." Billy reminded her at the door. She smiled warmly at them, kissing them both on the cheek for their good hearts. 

If only John knew the kind of friends he had. 

 

James didn't wake until noon the next morning. Pulling himself off the couch, James felt like the walking dead. Stretching his arms over his head, he groaned at the consecutive cracks running down his spine. 

"Coffee?" Max appeared at his side, clothed this time, although her blouse cut low enough to give a tantalising view of her cleavage. Her lips quirked in a closed lipped smile, handing him a steaming cup of black coffee, which he accepted gratefully. 

"Sorry for passing out on your couch." James was a little embarrassed. Predominantly because he didn't know John's friends all that well. Hell, he didn't know John all that well either, but he wanted to. He hoped he still got a chance to. 

"One thing you should know about me, is that I'm a sucker for stray boys, James." She said with a grin and James couldn't help but laugh, although it caused the pulse in the head to throb. 

"Was John one of your strays?" James asked, sitting back on the couch, nursing his coffee. Max hummed, flitting around the kitchen. 

"Oh, he was the most adorable, scruffy little stray I've ever come by." She smiled at her own words. "I found him trying to sneak into my father's club. He must have been fifteen at the time. Scrawny little thing, flinched when anybody looked at him." 

"Sorry, your father's club?" James interrupted. 

"Well-" Max stirred her tea, looking smug. "My club now. Providence, it's called. That's how I met Anne as well, when she interviewed for a bar-tending job." James' head snapped up in shock. Max owned the club? 

"You know you don't have a sign." James offered and she laughed. 

"I'm aware. I tried a few times, but it just didn't look right to me. I like it better as a nameless dive." She grinned. 

James was surprised, and impressed. Max was his age, maybe younger, and the owner of her own club in London. 

"Anyway, I pulled John out of the crowd, kicked him out. But instead of running away, or cursing at me like a street urchin...he just apologised, walked a little ways down the street and just sat down." Max handed him a sandwich, which he devoured greedily, much to her amusement. She took the arm chair opposite him, crossing her legs and sighed. 

"He just sat there." She repeated. 

"Why?" 

"He didn't want to go home." Her big brown eyes gazed back at him. "I couldn't let him back in the club. But I couldn't leave him on the street for the night. I'd just moved in here, there were still boxes everywhere." She smiled at the memory, eyes distant. 

"He slept on the couch. In the morning he was gone." She shrugged. "I didn't see him for a little while after that. Somehow he looked worse when I saw him next." 

James' fingers gripped tighter on his cup, heart thumping in his chest. 

"He was thinner, dark under his eyes. He was sitting in the same spot. It took a long time for him to open up to me. To trust that I was a friend." She sighed, and James could see it in her face, her eyes; she truly loved John, like he was her family. 

"Things were not good for him then. He was not in a good place. You must understand how much he means to me, to Billy and Ben, even Anne." She was staring James down so earnestly, her eyes giving away her emotions. 

"I do, really."

"When you find him, be gentle with him. No matter what has happened, you must keep calm. Don't demand answers, or you'll never get them." She warned, setting her cup on the coffee table. 

"You're not coming with me?" James asked, watching her shrug into a blazer. 

"I'm afraid not, mon cher. I called him at Jonas' this morning, no one picked up. I assume he made it to school. If he's there, if he's not okay, take him to Billy's, they'll take care of him." She nodded to herself as she lay out her plan. Keys gripped in her hand, she turned back to James. 

"I like you, James. I like how much you care. If you can do this for him...I would be very grateful." After hesitating a moment, she lent down and kissed him on the cheek.  
"He usually comes out of school on Queens Street, I'll see you soon. Stay as long as you want." 

"Thank you." James said and she nodded, slipping out of the door, leaving him alone in the apartment. 

 

Watching the hoards of students pour out onto the street, James felt a little overwhelmed, and very scrutinised. 

The boys, wearing John's uniform, glared at him as they passed by. James leaned back against the door of his car, flicking the ash off his cigarette. All these eyes on him made him anxious. 

A large group of high school girls stumbled passed him, eyes aghast and whispering to each other excitedly. Christ. 

Over their heads, James caught sight of black curls tied back into a twisted knot. His heart thundered in his ribcage. He'd missed the sight of him. 

John was walking with someone, another student. His friend was smiling, hands flailing as he spoke emphatically. John was nodding along, but his face was blank. As they neared him, John still had not looked up from the ground in front of him. 

"John." James called out. A few curious heads turned his way, including John's friend, whose jaw dropped. He elbowed John in the side to get his attention. With a disgruntled expression, John's head snapped up to complain, but his voice died off when he followed his stare. 

"James." He said, stopping a few feet from him. There was a bruise along his cheek that was beginning to yellow around the edges and a scabbed over split on his lip. 

So it was true.   
James' stomach fell, but he tried not to let his distress show on his face. 

"Hi." James greeted lamely, and for a moment John's lip twitched. Stepping closer to conceal their conversation from passing ears, John's brow furrowed. 

"What are you doing here?" He asked, although he already knew the answer. 

"I was worried about you. Your friends are worried about you. Just-" James sighed deeply, trying to keep himself from sweeping John up in his arms in front of so many people. "Will you come with me?" James asked, ardently. 

John seemed hesitant, and James knew shame when he saw it. 

"Hey." James said more softly. John's clear blue eyes met his and his lip quivered slightly. "We're going to go to Billy's, okay? No pressure. I know what's been going on, but I'm not going to ask for anything you're not willing to give." James yearned to reach out and twine his fingers with John's to soothe him. He had to keep reminding himself they were not alone here. 

"Okay." John's voice was barely a whisper and although he wouldn't let it show, it hurt to hear him sound so meek. John's friend gave him a pat on the shoulder before he drifted into the crowd once more. John circled around the side of the car, slipping into the passenger seat. 

"Do you have anymore of those?" John asked, weakly, motioning to the cigarette James had just snuffed out on the pavement before starting up the car. Silently, James handed him the whole packet and his lighter, which John took from him with trembling fingers. 

"Oh, Jesus, that's good." John blew smoke out from his nose, the breeze from the open window circulating fresh, crisp air into the car. 

"Do you know the way to Billy's?" James asked, driving in the general direction back to Max's. 

"It's a few streets down from Max's. I'll tell you when to turn." John's voice sounded steadier and James tried to not watch when John pulled the tie from his hair, his curls rustled by the breeze, sucking on the end of his cigarette. 

"Turn right down here." John said after a long stretch of silence. He lit another cigarette, leg jiggling restlessly, fingers curling and uncurling on his thigh. 

"Pull up here." John pointed to an old set of stone flats with lush vines crawling across the gutters. 

After killing the engine, the two men sat in silence. John blew a cloud of smoke out of the window, face turned away to hide his anxiety. 

"Relax, John. What do you thinks going to happen?" James made an aborted move to touch his hand, pulling it away at the last minute, he wasn't sure if his touch was wanted right that moment. 

"I don't know. I just don't like to make people worry. I can't keep dumping all of this on them, it isn't fair." John's chin dropped to his chest, his hair curtaining his face. 

"They're your friends, your family." John turned his head slightly at that.   
"They want to help you." 

"I know they do." John murmured, slightly muffled by the cigarette hanging from his lips. 

"So let them." James said softly, and John nodded slowly. Gathering courage, and pocketing James' cigarettes, John pulled himself out of the car. 

John seemed to want to work his way through the whole pack, by the way he was sucking them down. James decided to let him have his distraction. Buzzing up to Billy's, James stepped from the doorway, slightly unsure.

"I guess I'll just..." James cocked his head over to his car and John's eyes went wide and panicked. 

"What? You're leaving?" John grabbed onto James' arm. 

"Well, I just assumed that you wouldn't want me to stay. This is kind of a personal thing." James shrugged, but John's hand pulled him closer. John was shaking his head, curls flicking around his face. 

"Uh uh, you're staying. Unless...you want to go?" John took another drag, tight-lipped. 

"If you want me to stay, I'll stay." James assured with a smile, which John tried to return. 

The door slammed open and Ben flew out, slamming into John, arms tight around his shoulders. John stepped back with an 'oof', but he soon melted into the embrace, burying his face in Ben's neck. 

Billy's frame filled the doorway, smile bright and relieved. He gave James a nod and a clap on the back. 

John pulled back from the embrace, wiping his eyes discreetly, but smiling. 

Billy stepped between them and ruffled John's hair, drawing him into a hug that looked bone-crushing. John's laughter sang as he half-heartedly attempted to wriggle away from Billy.

"Your massive arms are going to break my spine!" With a laugh, Billy let him go. 

Some of the tension had left John's shoulders, but that nervous edge to his smile and the sharpness of his eyes gave him away. Now that the reunion was over, Billy was looking John over, assessing. His thumb briefly touched his cheek and John twitched.

"Alright, everyone upstairs." Billy said on a sigh. 

John reached over and took James' hand, lighting another cigarette, tension in the lines of his eyes. James gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, pulling the cigarette from his lips to take a drag to ease his own nerves. 

 

Ben handed them both a mug of tea, something that smelled of sweet citrus. 

"Our land-lady would murder us if she knew someone was smoking in here." Billy reprimanded, but John just smirked.

"You're land-lady is in love with me." He snarked, tucking his legs up to his chest, side flush with James'.

"She's eighty." Ben's nose crinkled.

"Age is just a number." He said on a laugh. He set down his tea on the glass coffee table, and James frowned when he noticed the tremor still in his hands. 

When John settled back into the couch, James touched his hand gently, a question. John glanced briefly up at him through dark lashes and threaded their fingers together, their joint hands nestled between their bodies. 

Turning John's over, James' fingers traced lightly over the healing scrapes, most of which were just thin pink lines. 

John curled his hand so their fingertips touched.   
"You like whisking me away like I'm a damsel in distress,don't you?" John's amusement curled in his whisper in James' ear. 

"Maybe a little bit." James' mouth turned up, a flash of white teeth peeking through. 

"You guys are staying here tonight, right?" Ben stated more than asked,grinning. 

"Sure." John said, passing James his cigarette. When Ben was out of sight, back in the kitchen, John leaned in close and spoke right into his ear. 

"If we're staying over, I'm warning you now, Ben's a squealer." James' face flushed deep red and John chuckled, leaning back out of his space as Ben walked back in. James had a hard time looking Ben in the eye after that. 

 

Max showed up when the four of them were sitting down for dinner. She swept into the room, kissing John on his good cheek before taking a plate from Ben. 

"Are you staying here tonight?" Max asked John, who cast James a quick glance before answering.

"Yeah, James is too." John smiled a little, letting their legs touch under the table. He'd taken off his blazer and tie, undoing a few of the buttons on his shirt, dipping low enough for James to see the silver necklace glittering against his skin. He was more relaxed than when he'd picked him up, his tension giving way to weariness.

"What are going to do after that?" Max asked and John pushed his food around his plate.

"I don't know." He mumbled.

"You're welcome to stay with us as long as you want." Billy offered, genuine and John flashed him an appreciative smile.

"I can't move out." John's shoulders dropped as he spoke down at his plate. 

"Why not?" James asked. 

"It's not that simple." John attempted, but Billy shook his head.

"Yes, it is. You can't stay there." Billy said firmly, but not unkindly. 

"I have no money, no job. If I move out then I won't be able to pay for the rest of school." John looked so defeated, James pushed their legs flush together in some form of comfort. 

"We will take care of you." Max said and John's eyes brimmed with tears. 

"Get out of that house. Don't worry about school, I can loan you the money." James said and all four eyes were on him. 

"It's a private school, it will not be cheap." Max reminded him. James sighed, money was always an uncomfortable subject for him. 

"I can assure you, I can pay for it." He said and John shook his head. 

"I can't let you do that for me. It's too much." 

"John, I'm trying to tip toe around it. But, the fact is I have money. Enough that paying for school fees so that you can graduate, is not a very big deal at all." John's eyes were wet when he looked up at him, hand clutching his under the table, keeping himself steady. John sniffed, eyes dropping to his plate once again. After a pregnant silence John said he'd think about it, and that was all they wanted to hear. 

 

Once they'd finished dinner, John excused himself quietly, already pulling out another cigarette from his pocket. Out on Ben and Billy's terrace, John leaned against the iron railing, face turned into the cold breeze. 

He felt raw. Overwhelmed. 

The air was like ice against his skin, fighting its way through his clothes. But he revelled in it. 

He always loved the cold. Winter was his favourite season growing up. When the sun was always shining, but the air was biting. As a kid he would lay stretched out, soaking up the sun like a cat. 

"What are you thinking about?" A voice said behind him. James pulled the screen door closed after him, John's coat slung over his arm. 

"Home." John replied, letting James help him into the coat, offering him an appreciative smile. James lent against the railing beside him, sea green eyes boring into him. 

"Australia?" John nodded in response, butting out his cigarette against the stone wall. 

"Do you miss it?" James asked, tucking his hands into his pockets, fingers feeling leaden with ice. John didn't seem as affected by the cold. Even on that first night James had met him, he'd walked out into the street barely clothed with a few shivers and no complaint. 

"I miss the sun." John said with a hint of a smile, and James chuckled, looking out onto the dimly lit street. 

"London isn't exactly a summer destination I'll give you that." James grinned, happy to see that John had finally loosened up. He was worried that after the confrontation at dinner,James' offer, and John's hasty retreat, that he had caused more harm than good. 

But John was adaptable, he would say that about him. 

"Have you lived here all your life?" John asked, turning into the heat of James' body unintentionally. 

"Born and raised." James said, half distracted by the way the streetlight made his eyes look almost opalescent. 

"Would you ever live anywhere else?" 

"I've never really thought about it, actually. I would love to travel more." John's eyes sparked and he smiled. 

"Yeah? Where would you go?" 

"Anywhere, everywhere. I'd love to go to Australia." James said, and John laughed. 

"I would suggest you go in winter. Their winter, not ours. You wouldn't last in summer." John teased, and James mocked offence, nudging John with his elbow.

"Are you saying I couldn't handle a little heat?" James challenged, smirking. 

"I lived there for fifteen years, and I could barely handle the summers. Have you ever been sitting still, in the shade, and sweating?" John asked, animatedly. 

"No, I can't say I have." James relented, endlessly amused by John's excited flailing as he spoke about home. 

"So, winter it is. Maybe Autumn, it's still hot enough to swim." John seemed to think for a moment before he shook his head. "Actually, Autumn and Spring don't really exist. It just goes from less hot to tropical jungle." 

"You're really selling it to me." 

"Oh, shut up." John pushed him lightly and James stumbled back with a laugh. 

"Would you ever go back? To live?" James asked. 

"I'm not sure. If you'd have asked me a few years back, I would've jumped at the chance. But now..." John turned back to the apartment, where through the glass he could see Billy pulling Ben from in front of the TV and onto the couch between him and Max.   
"I couldn't leave them behind." 

James leaned back against the railing, following John's gaze.  
"I get that." James' voice was flat, and when John glanced over at him , his smile was gone.

"Are you close with your family?" John asked, and James looked down at his feet.

"No, not so much anymore. I was really close with my grandparents." James sighed deep in his chest. "I inherited half their money when they died, I was their only grandchild." 

"Small family." John commented and James gave him a wry smile.  
"You used to be close with your parents, though?" 

"Yeah." He replied, sadly and John reached over to take James' hand. "I, uh, had a boyfriend during high school. Thomas. Lets just say my parents were less than pleased when they caught us together." John's hand squeezed his, sympathetically. 

"I didn't care that they were mad. I didn't even care that they couldn't accept I was gay. But I nearly burned that house down when I found out they'd told Thomas' dad." James gave a mirthless laugh. "He sent him away, to live with family in the Bahamas. I never saw him again." 

"I'm sorry." John said, pulling on James' jacket until they were flush together in an embrace. James' arms reflectively curled around John's waist, holding him close. 

"I didn't mean to-" James began to apologise, but John shushed him, pressing their foreheads together. 

"It's okay. I'm glad you told me." James titled his head so their lips brushed lightly. 

"You know, I still haven't asked you on a real date." He spoke against John's lips. He felt, rather than saw John's answering smile. 

"Stop being so beautiful." John groaned, pecking James on the lips. James laughed, eyes alight once more. His palms mapped their way up John's sides until his hands were buried in his soft curls. 

"I'm going to take you to dinner, then dancing." John gave him a lecherous grin, wiggling his hips against James', causing him to groan.

"You fiend, all of your friends are watching." John snapped his head around and caught Billy, Ben and Max's faces peaking over the back of the couch, no doubt laughing at them. 

"Jesus, bunch of perverts." John growled, although his eyes were laughing. Flipping them off with one hand, John used his other to guide James' lips back to his. The kiss was slower than the one they'd shared in James' car, softer and sweeter. Although the brush of John's tongue against his lips still sent a hot thrill down his spine. 

"I don't put out on the first date." John giggled.

"How about second?" James murmured against his neck, pressing kisses against his skin, breathing in the smell of his hair. He felt John's laugh vibrating under his skin and he nipped him on the jaw in retaliation. 

"And you call me a fiend!" John burst out, slapping James' shoulder. 

James' soft palm cupped the side of his face, thumb brushing under his bruise. His eyes were full of warmth, crinkling slightly with his smile. 

"I told everyone at school I got into a bar fight." John grinned, pleased with himself. 

"Yes, you're very tough." James conceded, thumb grazing John's split lip. John hummed deep in his throat, eyes drifting half shut.

"I think it's bed time." John pulled them both back into the flat, where Billy had fallen asleep on Ben's shoulder and Max had curled over the edge of the chair, dozing on her folded arms. 

John ruffled Billy's buzzed hair, grinning when he snorted awake. Max followed suit, blinking blearily.   
With a secretive smirk, Ben pulled Billy to his feet, dragging his loose-limbed giant down the small hallway. 

"Goodnight, everybody." Ben called out before the door slammed, the distinct snick of a lock immediately proceeding. 

Max had gathered her things and kissed John and James on the cheek, parting with a promise from John to come see her after school. 

And suddenly they were alone. John bit his lip, catching James' fingers with his and tugging him into the guest bedroom. James followed helplessly behind, swallowing when the door shut softly behind them. John leaned back against it, watching James intently as he started to unbutton his school shirt. 

James was so fucked.


	5. Bette Davis Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cue mood music

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cause I couldn't just end it there!   
> The title for this chapter is 'Bette Davis Eyes' by Kim Carnes, because that song is pure seduction.

John's pulse thundered in his ears, fear, anxiety and excitement swirling around his gut. James' eyes were lit up in the dim light, pupils blown wide. 

John let his shirt flay out to his sides. With a smirk, he stepped into James' space, nudging him backwards until he sat down on the edge of the bed. John's hand tilted his chin up, thumb rubbing across his parted lips. James sucked in a breath between his teeth, smile tugging his lips. 

Silently, with a sinuous twist of his spine, John climbed into his lap. James hummed, fingers tracing lightly up John's back, beneath his undone shirt. Goosebumps raced down his spine and his breathing went shaky. 

James' hands trailed up his torso, briefly fingering the chain around his neck, the metal warmed from John's burning skin. With a glint in his eye, James' thumb traced down to roll over his nipple, making John's spine arch into the touch. Encouraged by the reaction, James leaned forward and sealed his mouth over the peaked nub, rolling it between his teeth and over his tongue. John tilted his head back, pushing his chest forward into the contact with a breathy "James." Which made James' trapped cock twitch. 

With fumbling fingers, John tugged James' sweater over his head, ruffling his hair. After the brief separation, James latched onto John's other nipple, abusing the sensitive flesh until John was writhing in his lap. 

"James." John sighed, using both hands to pull him into a wet, sliding kiss. James moaned against his lips, tongue searching and teeth biting. It was like that kiss in his car, but somehow it was so much better. He didn't think a kiss could ever affect him this much. But the feeling of John's soft lips seeking his, his wicked tongue teasing, it was indescribable. 

"John." He moaned, and John pulled back briefly to grin at him, mischief dancing in his eyes. Taking James' hands in his, he guided them down to rest over his ass, and James squeezed. 

"Jesus Christ." James moaned, palming the curve of his ass, fingers digging into the clothed flesh. 

John laughed, delightedly, nose pressed to James' temple.   
"Get up on the bed." He whispered by his ear and James eagerly complied. Situating himself in the middle of the bed, he propped one arm behind his head, and John nearly lost his breath for a second. Because this was exactly how he'd pictured it, but it was also so much more enticing in real life. 

James smirked, and John realised he'd been standing at the end of the bed, staring dumbly at him. Cheeks flushing, John stepped out of his pants and shrugged out of his shirt, leaving him standing in his boxers. 

"Come here." James said softly, with a smile. John crawled his way up his body, seating himself on his thighs. 

"You're so beautiful." James murmured, hands clasped at his waist, thumbs brushing over the skin of his abs. John blushed a deeper shade of red, a shy smile bursting out of him. 

Fingers dipping down to snap the elastic at John's waist.  
"Can these come off?" James smirked and John seized up, pushing James' hands away gently. 

"John?" James asked, brow furrowed in concern. He tried to wiggle out from under him, but John shook his head, pushing James back down. 

"It's okay, I'm okay." John breathed. 

"We don't have to do this. If you just want to sleep, that's okay." James assured gently and John shook his head again, his lip sucked between his teeth. 

"I want this." John planted his hand on James' naked chest. "It's just-" 

"Is this the first time you've...?" James trailed off and John smiled.

"Well, yes. But, that's not it." John chewed on his lip until it was flushed red. He battled with himself for a long minute. Yet, the way James was looking at him; filled with genuine concern, warmth and deep want, John felt the tension leave him.

Noticing the difference in the lines of his body, James smiled.   
"Are you okay?" He asked and John returned the smile with a lingering kiss. Bending over to reach his mouth, John inadvertently brought their crotches into contact and they gasped in unison at the thrumming pressure. 

John hummed, tilting his hips forward into the pleasure, gyrating in James' lap. 

"John." He gasped against his lips. "Are you sure? I just don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with." With a final peck, John rocked back onto his thighs, lacing their fingers together. 

"The reason I've never done anything with anyone else is because...it's probably easier to show you." James' eyebrows quirked in a question, helping John slide off his lap to stretch out beside him. 

Resting with his head in his propped up hand, James rocked onto his side. John's lips thinned, tension returning to his face. 

"Hey." James got his attention. "It's okay, whatever it is." 

"Okay." John nodded his head, gathering the courage to pull down the side of his boxers. 

It took a few moments for James' eyes to adjust in the dim light. And a few second to realise what he was looking at. They were scars. Small ones, about two, three fingers wide, trailing down John's hip to where his boxers begin. They were consecutive and with a shock, James realised, they were purposeful. 

Looking back up at his face, John's eyes were wide and panicked. James realised he was bracing for a rejection and he leaned forward to press their lips together in a sweet kiss. 

Pulling back, John's eyes blinked open in a daze.   
"Can I-?" James' hand rested between them and after a moment of hesitation, John nodded in consent. He held his breath as James' fingers brushed lightly over the pale lines, mapping each one all the way down to the waistband of his boxers. 

"They're old." James commented, thumb rubbing circles into his scarred skin. 

"Two years now." John whispered. James palm on his hip was a comforting weight and he took in a shuddering breath.   
"That's when I stopped." 

James was listening intently, fingers caressing the scars, almost reverently. 

"When did it start?" James asked. 

"When my mum died in a car accident when I was fifteen. Jonas moved us here soon after. I had no friends, I'd left them back home. I was alone." John's eyes welled up at the memories. 

"I stopped when Max found out." 

"And you haven't hurt yourself since then?" James asked, and John shook his head. 

"No, Max made me stop. And once I had her, Ben, Billy, Anne...I didn't want to anymore." He said with a shrug. 

"I'm glad." James said with a smile. 

"So, you're okay with them?" John asked quietly, gnawing on his lips again. 

"Scars are scars. Almost everyone has them." James shrugged. His hand settled on John's stomach, pinky finger brushing against the tantalising trail of hair under his navel that disappeared beneath his boxers. 

"Even you?" John smiled, cheekily. James laughed, forehead dropping onto John's chest.

"Yes, from when I fell off my bike when I was fourteen." John winced in sympathy. 

"Can I see it?" John asked, and James was so relieved to see him unwind again, he had to comply.

"Well, if you wanna see it, I'm going to have to take these off." He cocked his head down at his jeans and John smiled brightly. 

"Is it on your ass? Please tell me it's on your ass." At James' expression, John threw back his head and cackled. Throwing his leg over James' hips, John pushed him onto his back, sliding back into his lap. 

"Please let me see your ass?" John giggled, fingers tugging at James' jeans. 

"It's not very nice to look at." 

"The scar or your ass?" John cackled and James bucked his hips, attempting to knock him off his lap. With a yelp, John grabbed onto James' biceps to keep himself steady. 

"Come on. I showed you mine." John snarled, wiggling his hips. 

"Technically, I didn't see your ass." James teased and John rolled his eyes, falling beside him in a heap. Wrestling out of his boxers, John tossed them across the room, turning into his stomach, grinning wickedly at James' dumbfounded expression. 

"Well, fair's fair." James looked back up at his face, eyes a little glazed. 

"What?" 

"Lose the pants." John ordered, eyes twinkling. 

"So demanding." James grumbled, but he was smiling. Peeling himself out of his jeans, he flushed red under John's heavy gaze. Lying naked beside each other, they just paused for a moment, eyes dragging over each other. 

"Well-" John waggled his eyebrows. "Turn over." 

James complied with a lewd grin, pillowing his chin on his arms. John climbed on top of him, knees bracketing his thighs. Running his palms down the musculature of James' back, he hummed appreciatively as he dragged his fingers over the swell of his ass. 

"I found it." John sing-songed, finger tracing over the jagged scar on James' left ass cheek. "This would've needed stitches, right?" 

James could hear the smile in his voice. 

"Yes, it was mortifying. The nurse was really hot too, that made it so much worse." James laughed, turning into his back, helping John settle back into his lap. 

John's breath hitched as their cocks lined up. James was half hard, cock nestled in the trimmed dark red hair around his groin. James' tongue flicked out over his lips, eyes hot with raw want. 

His hair was dishevelled, wide chest heaving. His cock was filling between them, under John's gaze. 

Pushing himself up onto his elbows, James caught his lips in a scalding kiss. He moaned in response, rocking their hips together, seeking friction. 

James' hands clutched his hips, guiding his thrusts, John's cock sliding along the groove of his hip. 

"John-" James gasped. "Roll over, please." John nodded, enthusiastically, wriggling onto his stomach. 

James situated himself between John's spread legs, head feeling light at the sight spread out before him. 

"John." He breathed, hands gliding up his thighs to settle on John's ass. 

"Yes, do it." John moaned, hips shifting restlessly against the covers. 

Spreading his cheeks, James' thumb ran down the crack of his ass, pressing down on his fluttering pink hole. 

"Yes." John hissed and James settled onto his stomach, his broad shoulders holding his legs open around him. James trailed open-mouthed kisses on the soft insides of his thighs, which quivered around him. 

Sucking a bruise onto the line where John's ass met his thigh, James marvelled at the perfect mounds of his ass and the twisting of John's spine as he writhed. 

"So perfect, John." He praised, tongue laving from his perineum over his hole. John's back arched and he whined deep in his throat, titling his hips back, panting for more. 

James complied eagerly, pressing his face between his cheeks and sucking wet kisses over his hole. John moaned wantonly, hips thrusting back against his tongue. Pleasure was zinging up his spine and down to his cock, which was leaking steadily onto the sheets beneath him. 

"James." He sighed, feeling sweat pooling at the base of his spine, skin flushing hot. 

"What do you want? Tell me what you want me to do to you?" James said, voice hoarse with arousal. John turned his head over his shoulder, eyes black and heated, his lips wet with saliva and bitten red. 

"Fingers-" He panted, squirming. "Your fingers, please?" He asked, his desperation so sweet. 

"Yes, yes." James dived back to his task, tongue spearing him open. Sucking one finger into his own mouth, James used his saliva as slick, inserting it into John's loosened hole up to his knuckle. John's hips bucked up off the bed in surprise. James thrust his finger, tugging at his rim as his tongue worked around the base of his finger. 

"Another one, James, please?" John begged, voice high and breathless. 

Plunging two slick finger back into his entrance, John's head thrashed side to side, hips working endlessly, chasing his pleasure. 

His eagerness, the taste of his salty sweet skin and the torrent of filthy moans pouring out of John's mouth, was making him lightheaded. Two fingers moving easily within him, James curled them down and John's whole body twitched and he whined. 

"That feel good?" James panted against the skin of his ass, watching his fingers disappear into that wet heat. Imagining plunging his cock into his silken opening made his cock throb against his stomach. Not tonight though. Tonight, James wanted to tear John apart until he couldn't think of anything but the pleasure James was giving him. 

Beyond words now, John just nodded his head, hands fisting in the sheets. Tracing a third finger around his rim, James teased. At John's incessant pleas, he spat onto his hole, getting it slick enough to work a third finger into him. 

John tossed his head back, revelling in the dull burn. His head was hazy with pleasure, eyes feeling heavy. His cock was throbbing, desperate for more friction. He didn't think he'd ever been this hard in his life. 

"James." He begged. 

"What do you want? Tell me? Do you want to come?" James' asked, voice a gravelly rumble in his ears. 

"Please." Pulling his fingers out of John's hole, he turned him onto his back. 

John went willingly, muscles feeling weak and watery. James' eyes drank him in greedily. The pink of his cheeks, his mussed up curls and black swallowed eyes. The obscene stretch of his lean, golden torso, glowing with sweat and muscle quivering. To John's flushed cock, straining against his stomach, precome pooling on his skin. 

"I can't even describe how perfectly undone you look right now." John huffed a laugh, smiling sleepily at him. James had to kiss him for that smile. 

John's fingers threaded through his hair, arching up into his mouth. The feel of their naked chests pressed against each other was intoxicating. James buried his face in John's neck, sucking a bruise over his rabbiting pulse. 

John's breath left him in a rush, nails scratching over James' scalp, earning him a groan. Their hips rocked together, and it was so good, but John wanted, needed, more. 

Hands trailing down James' slick back, he felt the muscles beneath the skin shift as he thrust their cocks together between the heat of their bodies. 

James pushed himself up onto his palms, cool air rippling over their skin as they parted. Sitting back on his heels, James hand loosely encircled John's cock. 

John bucked into the touch, eyes wide and begging for release. Chest heaving, James watched with rapturous pleasure as John writhed under his slow strokes. 

"James." John whimpered, legs shifting around him restlessly. 

He traced his thumb over the weeping head of his cock, heat pulsing through him as the gasping moan John let loose. 

"I'm sorry, I'll stop teasing." James said with a smirk, taking up his place back between his legs. 

John lifted his head, gaping as James shifting John's thighs onto his shoulders, mouth hovering over the head of his cock. 

A plea was on the tip of his tongue. But he didn't have to voice it, as James gave him a seductive smirk before he sucked John into his mouth. 

"Jesus fuck!" John screamed, spine curving forward, clutching James' hair in his fists. James tongued his slit, licking up the precome leaking out of him steadily. 

Catching John's eye, James swallowed him down to the base, nose brushing curls. 

"So good, James. So - fuck - how are you doing this?" John gasped as James' chuckled around him, the vibrations making his eyes roll. 

"Maybe I'll teach you some time." James pulled back to say and John nodded.

"Yes, god, yes." He moaned, heat rolling through him at the fantasy of backing James up against a wall and dropping to his knees for him. 

Mouth full of the taste of John's skin, he pushed two fingers back into his hole, seeking out that spot immediately. When he found it and pressed down, John bucked, moaning loud and lewd. 

Fucking into John, massaging his prostate on each thrust, James hollowed his cheeks, sucking him in tighter. John's body was shaking under him, his thighs intermittently squeezing around his head, pulling him closer, taking him deeper. 

"James, I'm close." John warned, letting go to his hair to allow him to pull away. But he didn't pull back. James doubled his efforts, bobbing his head, plying John wide open, rubbing incessantly at the spot that made John quiver. 

Under his ministrations, John couldn't hold himself back any longer. With a hoarse scream, John's cock pulsed, spilling down James' throat. 

Pulling his fingers out gently, James let John's softening cock slip out of his mouth. 

John had whited out for a few moments, panting heavily as he came down from his high. 

"James." He whispered, eyes half lidded. He weakly pulled James over him into a slow kiss, moaning at the taste of himself on James' tongue. 

His hand gripped the base of James' cock, pulling a rumbled growl from James' chest. 

John started up a steady rhythm, thumb circling the soft head on each upstroke. 

James gave a stuttered moan as he came over John's fist. 

"Yes." John moaned, tonguing over the bruise he'd raised under the hinge of James' jaw. 

With a sigh, James melted against him, his head tucked onto his shoulder, one leg propped over his thighs. 

John wiped his hand clean, tossing the soiled tissue onto the bedside table. Wrapping his free arms around James' shoulders, he played with the short hairs at the base of his neck. 

After a long, sleepy silence, John hummed.   
"Are you asleep?" He whispered into the darkness, smiling when James murmured against his neck.

"I'm getting there." 

"I think we beat Ben and Billy, I haven't heard a peep out of them. I think we made them self conscious that they weren't as good." John chuckled, although he was silenced almost immediately as a long, drawn out moan filtered through the walls. 

"Jesus, they can't let me have anything." John pouted.

James' laughter rumbled through his chest.   
"It's not a competition." 

"Says who?" John rubbed his fingers through James' hair, making him drowsy. 

"Go to sleep, John." James mumbled. Another moan filtered through and John went silent for a few moments.

"It's it weird I'm kind of turned on?" John said, laughter shaking his voice. 

"You are ridiculous." James grumbled, but he was smiling. 

"Yeah, but you like it." John snarked, face pressing into James' fiery hair. 

"God help me I do."


	6. True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Banter, banter and more banter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is titled after 'True' by Spandau Ballet - because it is sweet and corny just like Flint and Silvey :):):)

As he waded towards conscious, sensations returned to him slowly. He could feel how warm his skin was from sleep, the heat in his cheeks. The downy softness of the covers against his naked skin. 

The snuffling breath in his ear, gentle and unintentional.

James slowly blinked open his eyes. The room was still fairly dark, due to the fact that there were no windows to let the early morning light filter through. 

He stretched languidly with a hum, turning his head to take in the sleeping body next to him, with a soft smile. 

John had both arms tucked under his pillow, face half obscured by his inky curls. His face was slack, lips parted slightly and his nose mushed into the bedding. 

Sometime during the night, John had kicked the covers down to his legs, exposing the long line of his spine and the plush curve of his ass. 

James groaned internally, palm memorising the obscene curve and the biteable dimples at the base of his spine. John would have to get up soon for school anyway, he rationalised to himself, so if he woke from his touch, he wouldn't feel too selfish.

Plastering himself against John's side, James continued his slow exploration of John's butter soft skin. 

John murmured in his sleep and for a moment, James thought he was caught out. But John merely turned over onto his back with a sleepy snort, which made James grin. 

But now, on his back, James had even more skin to brush over. He started at his pecs, thumb brushing around the skin of his nipples. Touching the sensitive flesh directly would surely cause him to wake, and James wasn't finished exploring yet. 

He trailed his fingers over the shallows and ridges of his stomach, accentuated by shadow, down to the cut of his hips. Without his boxers on, even in the dim light, James could see the lines of his scars on both of his legs, from the tops of his hip bones to the crease of his thighs. 

He paid special attention to them. Counting each line, memorising the feeling of his scar tissue. 

"What are you doing?" A soft voice spoke next to him and he blushed, hoping that it was too dark for John to see. 

"Nothing incriminating." James whispered, his smile curling his voice. John grinned, brushing his hair away from his face. 

"You were staring quite intently at my dick." John smirked, his voice deep with sleep. 

"A wild accusation." James said, tugging John onto his side so that their bodies were aligned, legs tangling. John bit his lip, and James reached up to pry it from between his teeth so he could kiss him. 

John pulled back first, nose crinkling.   
"I haven't brushed my teeth yet." He complained, and James chuckled. 

"I need a shower, desperately." James groaned, hand rubbing across John's shoulder blades. 

"If we get up now, we'll beat Ben and Billy to the shower and steal the hot water." John waggled his eyebrows, eyes glinting.

"Evil, lets do it." James laughed as John sprung out of bed, sauntering over to the closet to pull out two towels. 

"Walk a little slower." James rumbled, and John threw him a cheeky grin, meandering across the room, feeling James' gaze on him like a physical touch. He tossed a towel at his face.

"Come on." John wrapped the towel around his waist, much to James' chagrin, walking out of the door, leaving James to scramble behind him. 

 

John dropped his towel, leaning into the shower to adjust the knobs, giving James a very tempting view of his ass. 

"I can feel you staring." John laughed, stepping under the warm spray, pulling James in after him. 

"Can you blame me?" James murmured against the back of his neck. John's hair flattened against his skin as the hot water sluiced over him.

"You are salacious, Mr-" John gave a frustrated groan, spinning around to face James, eyebrows drawn together. 

"I still don't know your last name." He pouted, hands running over James' arms. 

"Flint." James grinned, blinking against the spray of water. 

"James Flint. Mr Flint, I like it." John pulled James under the water with him, lining up their bodies. 

John hummed, he seemed to do that a lot, James noticed.   
"This is nice." He commented. "Pass me the shampoo." 

James reached above their heads, handing over what he assumed was either Billy or Ben's shampoo. He felt kind of bad for using their things, but when John's soapy fingers began to massage through his hair, thoughts left his head. 

"Well, Mr Flint. When are we going on that date you promised me?" John asked, rinsing James' hair. 

"How's Friday? You can stay over after if you want?" James grinned, hands skimming over John's hips, fingers playing over the swell of his ass. 

"Oh, really?" John couldn't stop smiling. He popped the cap of the shampoo, but James took it from him, pouring some into his hand and threading his fingers through John's wet hair. 

"You like my hair, don't you?" John said, smugly, eyes drifting closed at the feeling of James' fingers drawing circles on his scalp. 

"Among other things..." James' soapy hand slid down his back to grip his ass, earning a gasp. 

"Well, I know you like that." John laughed, sticking his head under the water to rinse away the suds. 

"I kept thinking about those pink leather pants." James groaned, cupping John's face in his palms. "You were driving me crazy in them." He sealed their mouths together as water poured over them, sucking John's bottom lip into his mouth. John swayed closer, pulse kicking up. 

"I have more." John panted against his mouth and James rumbled.  
"You have to show me some time." He dived back in for a kiss, addicted to the wet slide of their bodies together. 

Taking a step back, John swallowed, trying to collect himself.   
"As much as I would love to push you back against that wall and do filthy, sinful things to you-" James moaned, dick already half hard. "I'm afraid that Billy and Ben are early risers, and would not take kindly if they heard us fucking in their shower." John grinned at James' heavy lidded gaze, eyes drifting to his obvious interest. 

John stepped out of the shower, making sure to bend over slowly to pick up his discarded towel. 

"John." James moaned behind him at the tease. "You are making me weak." He sighed, picking up his own towel and wrapping it around his waist, hand covering his crotch. 

"I love to tease you, James." John smirked, taking his hand and pulling them back into the guest room. 

"I'm beginning to see that." 

 

Breakfast was...interesting. Back in their clothes from yesterday, they found Ben and Billy already in the kitchen, the smell of bacon and eggs permeating the flat. 

"Morning." Billy called out, briefly turning away from the stove, sleep pants slung low on his hips and a worn out tank top hanging off his broad shoulders. Ben was similarly dressed, although he was swimming in a thin white t-shirt, which James assumed actually belonged to Billy. 

"It's like we're at a romantic bed and breakfast." John grinned, pulling James into the seat next to him at the dining table. 

"Yeah, don't help or anything." Billy groused, turning over the sizzling bacon. Ben elbowed him in the side.

"Sit down, James." Ben said as James guiltily tried to offer help. "I'm surprised either of you can walk steady after what we heard last night." Ben gave them a knowing smirk, and they both flushed, casting each other shy glances. 

"Speak for yourselves." John snapped back, trying to smooth out the wrinkles in his shirt with a frown. 

"Ah, weak-willed young gays." Ben chuckled, throwing toast onto four plates. 

"Yes, but with youth, comes stamina." John fiddled with his tie, poking his tongue out at the couple in the kitchen. 

Billy laughed outright, tossing his head back.   
"Bullshit, Silver. You almost come in your pants when James looks at you too long." Ben joined in his teasing laughter. 

John went beet red, flipping them both off.   
"Fuck off. That wasn't what I meant by stamina." 

"We're sorry." Billy was still laughing softly, placing their breakfast in front of them. "We just think it's so cute. Well, would you look at that?" Billy poked at the bruise James had left on John's neck. 

"Billy, leave them be." Ben scalded, sitting across from James, still smirking at them both. "You better wear a scarf." He pointed to the same bruise. 

"No way!" John protested, mouth full of scrambled eggs. "I earned it." 

James shook his head, smiling down at his plate. 

"Somehow, I don't think love bites are a part of the uniform." Billy quirked his eyebrow. 

"No shit. I came to school once with eyeliner still on and dickhead Father Donovan pushed my face into the sink and used soap to wash it off!" James looked horrified, fork frozen halfway to his mouth. 

"You're shitting me." He said in disbelief.

"I think I had an allergic reaction or something cause my eyes were so red." John just kept on shovelling his food, shaking his head.

"I think that's just a normal reaction to someone putting soap in your eyes." James said, a bit lost.

"Oh." John said. "On the last day I want to just empty buckets of soap all over his wanky office." He grinned mischievously, and James held no doubt that he would go through with it. 

Billy shook his head.  
"Can't believe that fucker is still there." 

"You went to St Andrew's?" James asked. 

"Two years. Everyone in our grade was convinced Father Donovan was a pedophile." Billy grinned, and Ben cleared their plates with a roll of his eyes. John gave a sharp bark of laughter, quickly covering his mouth so he didn't spray toast over everyone. 

"Hey! I kept that rumour going! Although I embellished it so that everyone is sure that the asshole Dufresne is his 'alter boy'." John used air quotes around 'alter boy', a sly grin making him look down right devious. 

"So you spread a rumour that your principal is fucking a student?" James lent back in his chair, entertained by John's cunning mind. John rested his chin in his palm, fingers pressed against his grin, eyes glistening at him. 

"Dufresne deserves everything he gets." John shrugged, endlessly pleased with himself.

"So, a guy pisses you off, so now everyone thinks he's being molested." James restated, eyebrows quirked. 

"No, a guy makes my life shit and pushes me down the fucking stairs, so I convince everyone he's getting touched up by our principal." John sat back in his chair as well, arms crossed over his chest. There was a strange expression on his face, that James couldn't quite read. The slant of his shoulders and the thin press of his lips seemed a bit smug, but also indignant. 

"This guy, Dufresne? Pushed you down the stairs?" Billy looked between the both of them, deciding to leave a tense situation under the guise of getting ready for work. 

"Yes, he's a suppressed homophobic asshole, who hates me. Why-" John grinned. "are you going to beat him up for me?" James rolled his eyes, leaning forward to adjust John's tie.

"If I ever see that little bastard-" James pulled him in by his tie to give him a slow, lingering kiss. "I will defend your honour."

"Yes, sweep me off my feet and save me like I'm a fainting maiden." John wrapped his arms around the back of James' neck, peppering kisses over his face.

"Alright, alright." Billy said, doing up the last few buttons of his shirt. "No more of that. John, I can give you a lift to school if you want?" 

"Uh, I can drive him. I need to head home before work anyway." Billy shrugged, saying that John always fucked with his car's radio anyway. To which John protested emphatically. 

"What do you do?" John was still leaning in, his breath a warm tingle against the flushed skin of his cheek. 

"You're going to make fun of me. But, I work at the University library." James said meekly, but John's mouth curled slowly into a bright smile in response. 

"What?" James asked, hesitantly, at the look John was giving him. 

"Sorry, don't mind me. Just having some vivid sexy librarian fantasies." John's shoulders shook with giddy laughter and at James' eye roll, he only pulled him closer. 

"I will always tease, James. But I would never make fun." He whispered in his ear, lips brushing the shell before he sat back. 

And James. James didn't know what to think about the warm feeling in his chest.

 

James quirked his eyebrow at John, who was fiddling with the dial on the radio, eyes squinted in concentration. 

"Put on something good!" John yelled at the inanimate object, sighing in frustration. 

"So you're going to Max's after school?" James tried to distract him, just in case he made a break to inflict physical violence upon his car. It was a ten year old shit box, but it was his shit box.

"Yeah." John played with his tie.

"So what happens next?" James asked. 

"Well, I'm not going back." John said quietly, and James looked over at him, relief letting go of some of the tension in his shoulders.

"Yeah? So you'll let me pay for school?" John nodded.

"So are you going to stay with Ben and Billy?" James asked, pulling up in front of the school. 

"Yeah. I'll need to go get my stuff sometime." John said anxiously. What if Jonas is there when he goes to get his things? What would he do when he found out John was moving out? Jonas would try to stop him, John was sure of it, by any means possible. Because John wouldn't be there to clean for him or cook for him. He would be there to take his frustrations out on. Because if John left, he would have no one

"We'll all come with you, I'm sure." James put his hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, whilst keeping his distance lest someone from his school walking past saw them together. It hurt sometimes to have to hold themselves back from each other, but this was the world they were living in and James would be devastated if he outed John to his school. He already had it rough, everyone finding out he was gay would be a nightmare.

"Promise? I don't know if Jonas will be there." James secretly hoped that they ran into him as they were leaving with John and his things. He just wanted that asshole to try and stop them. 

"We'll make Billy take his shirt off, that'll be enough to intimidate anyone." John laughed, shaking his head.

"I think Max is scarier than Billy." 

"I wouldn't want to get on her bad side." James agreed. Max was a fiercely protective person, like a lioness, and James was loathe to think of what would happen if someone threatened her cubs in front of her. 

"Tell me when, and I'll come help." John grinned brightly at him.

"I want to kiss you so badly right now." John admitted, cheeks pinking so deliciously, James felt the same way. 

"Save it for Friday night." James said, hand lingering on John's arm as he piled out of the car.

"Hmm, can't wait." John purred, walking off with a wave and a cheeky grin. 

 

Setting up meticulously behind the front desk, James waved at Idelle, a student volunteer, who tossed her coat across the front counter with a sigh. 

"Big week?" James muttered, loading up a trolley for her. Idelle often used her volunteer hours to gossip with either himself or Eleanor about her boy troubles. 

Idelle adjusted the bangles on her wrists, looking about ready to burst. But suddenly she deflated, head tilting to the side, her pony tail flicking over her shoulder. She was staring at him intently, a smirk slowly appearing on her face. 

"What?" James asked, uneasy. Cocking her hip, Idelle pointed her manicured finger at his neck. 

"What's that?" She asked, and James immediately clasped his hand to cover the bruise on his neck. 

"Nothing." James muttered, trying to get back to stacking, but he could feel himself blushing. 

"Bullshit!" Idelle said and James shushed her, they were in a library for god's sake. 

"Tell me, tell me, tell me! Come on, Flint. You never tell me anything about yourself." Idelle pouted, pulling the trolley from him. 

James sighed dramatically, sitting back in his chair. Idelle took this as a triumph and leant over the front counter, eagerly waiting. 

"I met someone recently." James finally said, and Idelle grinned. 

"Tell me about her?" Here we go. He'd known Idelle for about a year, and his sexuality had never come up, well until now. 

James rubbed at his face, resting his elbows on the back of his chair.   
"I can tell you about him." He said, and Idelle's jaw dropped, quite comically. 

"Are you serious?" She stage whispered. 

"Yes. Do you want to hear about him or not?" James crossed his arms over his chest, amused at Idelle's shock.

"Yes! Details." Her shoulders shook as she bounced up and down excitedly, leaning closer. A student wandered past, eyes firmly on Idelle bent over the counter. 

"Move along." James warned, and the guy ran and hid in the shelves, tail between his legs. 

Idelle tapped on the desk in front of him.   
"Come on." 

James held up his hands in a placating gesture.   
"Fine, what do you want to know?" 

"Name?" 

"John Silver." James loved the sound of his name, the way is rolled out of his mouth. 

"How old?" 

"Eighteen." James said and she grinned like a shark. 

"Interesting. How'd you meet this young lad?" She propped up her chin in her hand. 

"At a club." 

"Which one?" Idelle seemed dubious, as if she couldn't picture James at a club. Which James felt a little insulted by, he wasn't a shut in for Christ's sake. 

"Providence." Idelle's eyebrows furrowed.

"I've never heard of it." She said and James smirked.

"It's a gay bar." He said and her eyes lit up.

"For real? How exciting. So you met him there and..." James was smiling at her, part relief, part amusement. 

"And? I helped him get home, then I ran into him again the next day. Came with him to his friends house for dinner, we both stayed over and the rest your dirty little mind can fill in." James smirked. Idelle held in a squeal.

"This is the best thing to ever happen. Can I meet him? What does he look like?" 

How would he describe John without sounding like a total love-sick fool?

"He's got blue eyes, black curly hair and he is absolutely gorgeous." 

"I have to meet him." Idelle's excitement was interrupted by Eleanor's abrupt arrival. 

"Shouldn't you two be working?" She said, throwing her bag behind the desk. 

James turned his wrist to look at his watch. "Shouldn't you have been here twenty minutes ago?" 

Eleanor scoffed, finishing the trolley and pushing it towards Idelle.  
"I run this place. Gossip time's over ladies." 

"But Flint was just telling me about his newest romantic conquest." Idelle pouted.

"Leather pants guy?" Eleanor squinted at him. Behind her, Idelle's eyes went wide.

"I never heard anything about leather pants!" 

"Hush now, Idelle." Eleanor waved her away, pulling up her chair next to James. 

She stared him down as she booted up the computer. It was the only one in their part of the library, but the head of their department had rumoured that in the next year years the school would have enough money to buy enough to have a computer room for the students. 

James hated the stupid block of plastic and circuits. Eleanor seemed to have endless patience when it came to technology. James had tried all of once to get the computer started. It took him an hour and an unholy amount of cursing. 

Her gaze was cutting, and he tried to focus back on his log. 

"Okay! Spit it out." James slammed the log closed, spinning in his chair to glare at her. 

"Did you fuck him?" She said point blank. 

"Jesus, Eleanor! Boundaries!" He whisper-yelled at her. With absolutely no reaction, Eleanor took a long sip of her tea, eyes still on him. 

"Is that a yes?" She asked. 

"That's a no." She squinted him, dubious. 

"What did you do then?" She asked him, like that was normal thing to ask your friends.

"That is none of your business." James bent his head over the desk, filling out late notices. 

"You go down on him?" She asked, in that same dead pan voice. James choked on his tongue. 

"We've talked about boundaries many times before. How can you still not get it?" James pleaded with her. 

"Did he go down on you?" She continued, like he didn't even open his mouth. 

"I'm just going to stop talking." James help up his hands in defeat. 

"When do I get to meet him?" 

"Hopefully, never." James shook his head, exasperated. 

"Why? I want to meet your boyfriend. I want to see if he's as hot as you say he is." Eleanor smirked at him, typing away. 

"Maybe, just maybe, we could go to a bar together or something. Somewhere with clear exists." In case John wanted to make a run for it. 

"Can I come?" Idelle popped up behind them, grinning. 

James clutched his chest at the heart attack she almost caused him. 

"Oh my god. You're going to traumatise him." James buried his face in his hands. 

"Don't put your tits in his face, he doesn't care." Eleanor said, pointedly. Oh god. Idelle was positively glowing at the idea. 

He was beginning to rethink some of his choices.


	7. Broken Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interrupted attempt at phone sex and a very, very angry poodle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't know yet how long this story is going to be. I'm having too much fun writing so far. Anyway the song for this chapter is 'Broken Wings' by Mr. Mister - such a ballad

The next afternoon found James stretched out lengthways on his couch, his book left forgotten on his chest as he'd drifted off into a doze.

In his half-slumber, as clear as any dream he'd ever had, he saw John in his mind. They were sitting side by side on his couch, the dim light casting shadows over John's face. 

James was confused as to why he was there, how he got there? He couldn't remember. 

"John, when did you get here?" He heard himself say. John grinned at him, expression betraying his obvious lust. 

"What do you mean?" He slid into his lap and crossed his arms behind James' head. His grin was wild, and James couldn't resist him. Turning John's chin, he latched onto the thrumming skin of his throat.

John turned his head into the sensation, hips grinding down and a breathy moan filtering out between his plush lips. 

"James." He knew that sound. He'd burned it into his brain after their night together in Ben and Billy's apartment. 

"Yes, John." He hissed at the writhing of John's hips and his wanton moans. "Tell me, baby, tell me what you want?" James groaned into his neck, mouthing at his jaw. 

John thrusted down harder, and he gasped. "I want you to fuck me. I want you to be the first one." John gripped onto James' auburn hair and wrenched his head back so that their eyes met. 

Ring.

Ring. 

Ring.

James woke with a gasp, skin pleasantly warm and his dick straining against the zipper of his jeans. He pressed his open palm over the front and moaned. 

Ring! 

Oh, right. The phone. James reached over to the side table to answer it, rubbing his tired eyes, trying to dispel the torrid images in his head. 

"Hello?" 

"James?" John's familiar deep voice reached his ears and James looked up to the heavens for guidance, because this kid was going to make him combust. 

"John, you still have my number." The end of his sentence was more of a yawn than actual English and John's bubbling laughter crackled through the receiver. 

"It's four-thirty, old man, were you asleep?" John teased and he chuckled in response. 

"Yes." And after a moments hesitation he said lowly into the phone. "I had a dream about you." 

John made an intrigued noise, and then that humming sound in his throat that James was beginning to become addicted to hearing. 

"What kind of dream was it?" He asked, hoarsely. 

James twirled the phone cord around his fingers.  
"You were in my lap." 

"Was I? Well, it's a very nice place to be." John sounded like he was positively beaming at the idea. 

"You seemed to be enjoying it." James' blood rushed through his veins, filling his cock. He pressed his palm down harder, his hips bucking up into the contact. 

"I can imagine why. What else was I doing?" John breathed heavily into the phone. 

"You were rolling your delicious hips against mine." James panted, tongue wetting his lips. "And you were moaning so good in my ear, begging me to fuck you." 

John gasped, a whimper escaping him, he was so turned on. 

"Yeah? Did you do it?" John said excitedly. 

"Unfortunately, that's when I woke up cause the phone was ringing." John laughed in response. 

Suddenly there was a scuffle on the other end of the phone and a few curses, before Max's voice replaced John's.

"Hello, James." She said brightly, although with a hint of irritation. 

"Oh, hi Max." He replied lamely, unsure of what was happening. 

"John was supposed to call you and ask if you wanted to come help us load up some of his stuff to take to Billy's? But instead he couldn't keep his dick to himself and was wasting my minutes." She said tersely, although not with any real malice, more amusement than anything. 

He could hear John talking behind her.

"I kept my dick to myself!" He retorted. 

"I didn't think I would have to make myself clear that phone sex in my kitchen is unacceptable." Max said pointedly and James smothered a laugh at John's disgruntled murmuring. 

"Anyway-" Max had turned back to the phone in her hand. "Are you busy?" 

"No! Not at all. Should I just meet you there? Or...?" 

"Well, actually, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you possibly come pick John and I up? My car has died on me." 

"Yeah, of course! Now?" He asked, checking his watch. 

"If you can? We can wait, though." Max said politely. 

"I can come now." He assured her. 

"You're a Prince, James. We'll see you soon." 

"See you then." James said and he briefly heard John yelling at Max to let him say goodbye, before the dial tone interrupted him. 

 

Pulling up to the curb outside John's house, Ben and Billy were already piling out of their car. Ben turned to wave at them, smiling brightly. 

In the backseat, John was trying to calm himself. In through the nose, out through the mouth. 

"The driveway's empty, he must not be here." Billy said as James joined him on the footpath. Turning up the collar of his coat against the wind, James took a good look at the house. It was very disenchanting. A single-level brick box essentially. He couldn't imagine such a bright spark like John living somewhere that dull. 

"You alright, John?" Billy asked over James' shoulder. John was watching his house as well, looking a little peaky. He nodded, fiddling with his t-shirt and coat. 

"You're sure?" James stepped to his side. 

John gave him a wane smile. "Yeah, I will be. I just want to get this done quickly." 

Well, there were no arguments there.

 

They heaved out John's belongings in record time, bundling boxes into the back of the two cars. 

"You don't have a lot of things." James mentioned and immediately groaned at the foot he'd just firmly planted in his mouth. What a thing to say. 

"Sorry, I didn't-" James began to apologise, but John dismissed it easily. He was pulling a few things out from under his bed. Apparently that was where he kept his most treasured items. A pleasant warmth curled in James when he saw his records in that pile

"It's okay, James. It's true." He got to his feet, arms full of the last of his possessions to go out - besides the record player safely in James' arms. 

"At Billy's, I want to cover my walls in posters and pictures." John said, beaming as he led them out to the cars. "I don't want to even be able to see the paint on the walls." 

He was practically buzzing. His 1000 watt smile near blinding. James pushed the record player into his back seat, before catching John around the waist and pulling him close. 

He went willingly, chest almost bursting out of excitement. James cradled his face in his large palm, his thumb brushing his bruised cheek. 

It didn't hurt anymore, especially when James touched it so gently.  
"You are extraordinary." James whispered against his cheek and John made a little happy noise in his throat, hands tucked around James' hips. 

"Alright, boys. Lets keep it kid-friendly, there are neighbours around. So keep hands above belts and -" Max's scolding was interrupted by the distinctive screech of rubber tires against bitumen. 

John jumped back out of James' embrace.  
"Max." His voice shook and everyone turned to watch a blue Chrystler roar into the driveway. 

There was no time to react. Everyone just stood there, shocked, as Jonas thundered towards them, leaving the door to his car wide open in his haste. 

"What the fuck is going on?" He yelled, spit flying out of his mouth. Both James and Billy stepped forward without hesitation, putting their bodies between Jonas and John. 

Jonas pulled up short, his beady dark eyes darting between them and John.  
"Who the fuck are you?" That was aimed and James and Billy. 

James scoffed, hand outstretched to keep Jonas from stepping any closer to either of them.  
"It doesn't matter." 

Jonas' face twisted, head craning over Billy's shoulder to see John.  
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" 

John visibly shrunk in between Max and Ben. 

"He's moving out." Max's voice was cutting and her brown eyes were hard. 

"I was asking my son, you stupid bitch." Jonas snarled, moving forward, which was a mistake. Billy pushed Jonas back roughly, his strength tipping him onto his ass. 

Jonas spluttered, scrambling to his feet.  
"John, get inside, right now." He seethed. 

James glanced back at John, who did not look so cowed as he moved to stand next to James and Billy.

"No, Jonas. I'm leaving." John's voice was firm, although his hands were shaking. James placed his palm on the small of his back, reassuring him that they were all there. 

Jonas' face was boiling red, and he laughed, a very ugly sound.  
"You're fucking kidding me, right?" 

"Look-" Billy said. "He's coming with us, whether you like it or not. You're not to try find him, you'll stay away from his school. If you see him on the street-" He shrugged. "You'll cross to the other side." 

John leaned into James' side, face blank. Jonas shook his head, staring at John intently. 

"I can't fucking believe this. You ungrateful shit." John's hand on his chest stopped James from jumping forward. 

"Your mother would be ashamed to call a poof like you, her son." Jonas snarled at him. 

Just as James stepped forward to make him shut up, he was pushed backwards by John as he lunged at his step-father with an animalistic scream. 

Knocking Jonas to the ground, John clambered on top of him, fighting off his flailing limbs to strike him across the face with his clenched fist. Pain reverberated through his hand, although the adrenaline pumping through his blood immediately dulling the sensation. 

Jonas cried out, but John was insatiable in his rage. He clutched at his collar, pulling his head and shoulders off the ground. 

Jonas' gaze focused on his and John stared him down, eyes burning. 

For most of his life, John had feared this man. He'd grown up walking on egg shells to avoid his drunken rage and his cutting words. He'd been a child still, grieving the loss of his mother, his only real family, and this man had turned his own grief into hatred and resentment for her only son.

"If you really think that, then you didn't know my mother at all." He said, quietly, but deadly. 

"You're a disgusting fag." Jonas spat at him and John slammed him down onto the ground, the back of his skull cracking against the grass. 

Jonas' eyes were bleary when he opened them, his head knocked around by the impact. John settled on his knees, bracketing Jonas' stomach, and just stared at him, chest heaving. 

The first time he'd beaten him, John was only fifteen. He'd punched him so hard in the stomach, John had thrown up its contents. But he wasn't a child shrinking under the towering height of his step-father, not anymore. Now, John was the one towering.

"John." Max said quietly from behind. John glanced at her briefly, and then the others, who were staring at him with wide, worried eyes. 

Turning back to Jonas, he slapped him hard across the face, just like he'd done to John the week before. The smack echoed down the narrow street. Jonas sucked in a breath, blood dribbling out of his nose, pooling above his lip. 

Pulling together all the hurt, the anger, the sadness and the shame he'd caused him, John grasped Jonas' chin firmly, so that he was staring straight into his eyes. 

"I hope you drink yourself to death." He said with such venom, he even surprised himself. 

Pushing himself up onto quaking legs, John stumbled back to the car, dodging aborted touches and half spoken words. His heart was racing so hard it scared him. 

Slipping into the back seat, John shut the door on himself, looking forward, not moving. 

Everyone casted each other tense glances, before getting into their cars. James and Max got into the front seats, deciding to let John process it all in peace in the backseat. 

John didn't even look at Jonas, sitting on the grass, blood smeared across his mouth, but he looked back. 

 

About halfway back to Billy's, John broke down in the backseat.

His head dropped into his hands, fingers pulling his hair so tight it hurt. 

He was shaking all over, breath coming in shaky bursts. He was trying to be quiet, they were almost home. 

A sob broke out from his chest and immediately Max's hand cupped the back of his head, fingers rubbing soothing circles into his hair. 

"Oh, mon cher, we are so proud of you." Her warm accent worked to soothe the deep ache in his chest.  
He rested his head between his knees, eyes squeezed shut. 

Max continued to stroke his hair until they slowed to a stop.  
"We're here, mon cher." She said softly and he sucked in a deep breath, leaning back in his seat. 

James opened the car door for him, giving him a reassuring smile. John's eyes were red and hazy, his lips bitten raw. 

"Are you okay?" James asked and John gave him a watery smile that bubbled over into a quiet sob and he stepped fully into James' arms, head tucked under his chin. 

"It's okay, it's over. You did it." James murmured, rubbing up the length of John's back through his coat. 

John nodded, the movement nudging hair hair into James' face.  
"Do you want to go upstairs and have a cup of tea? We can leave this all for later." 

Ben and Billy were already opening the front door for them, smiling sadly. 

John pulled out of the embrace, but grabbed onto his hand to keep him close.  
"Yeah." His eyes were crystalline blue, still wet with tears and he was so devastatingly beautiful. 

 

Once John had a warm cup of sugary tea in his hands, he seemed to visibly calm. Everyone gave him some space, except for James, who John had not let go of yet. 

They settled onto the couch, the lines of their legs pressed together. John sipped his tea with one hand, and held onto the crook of James' arm with the other. 

"Ben makes good tea." James said quietly, the corner of his lips quirking. 

"No sugar, though? That's not tea." Although his voice was bland, his words were teasing, which was a great relief. 

"I'm very offended." James deadpanned, and John put down his cup to rest his head on James' shoulder. 

"Sorry, I'm clinging a bit." John whispered, but didn't let go. James didn't want him to. 

"Don't even think about it." James sipped his bitter tea, and let John use him as a pillow. 

 

Ben stepped over John's outstretched legs, ruffling his curls to wake him from his light doze. 

Blue eyes blinked open and Ben grinned.  
"Hey, petal. I've got something for your hand." He carefully laid a blue ice pack over John's bruised knuckles. 

At the noise, James woke, cursing when he looked at his watch.  
"Shite, I've got to go." John held his ice pack in place, eyes wide and questioning. 

"I'm having dinner with a friend." James looped his scarf around his neck, bending down to press a kiss to John's lips, which curled in a smile as he pulled back. 

"Shit, all your stuff is still in my car." James raked his hand through his hair, he was already late. Eleanor was going to murder him. 

Ben shook his head, taking their cold tea back into the kitchen.  
"We brought everything up already." 

James breathed a sigh of relief, turning back to John.  
"Are we still on for tomorrow night?" He asked, hopefully. 

"Of course, you can pick me up at eight." John beamed.

"Perfect, I'll see you then. I've really got to go, I'm already late." 

"Go, go." John waved him out, both of them smiling like idiots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for first date everyone cause it's coming


	8. Devil Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's date night.  
> And of course it's INXS again for the title.

James changed his clothes four times before he forced himself to leave the house and stop fussing. He hadn't been this nervous about a date since high school. He felt ridiculous for it. 

He settled for simple. Black jeans, tight black t-shirt and a deep, sea green coat. 

Driving up to the curb, John was already waiting outside the building, taking a drag of his cigarette. 

James nearly groaned at the sight of him. John had his hair half pinned over to one side, curls hanging over the side of his face and he looked downright sinful. 

He grinned when he caught sight of his car, stepping out his cigarette and sauntering over. James' eyes trailed over the white muscle tee that dipped down to below his collar bones and the unzipped sleeveless leather jacket that accentuated the curve of John's tanned biceps. 

"Why, hello." John greeted slyly, sliding into the front seat. James hooked his fingers through his necklace to draw him into a lingering kiss. John balanced himself with a warm hand pushing down on James' thigh, biting down on his lips just to make him twitch. 

James cupped the back of his neck, titling his chin just so, so that the angle was perfect to slide his tongue into John's mouth. 

John's hand on his thigh squeezed with a bruising pressure, pulling a small moan out of James' throat that he swallowed eagerly. 

They separated with a slick sound, grinning broadly at each other.  
"So where are we eating? I'm starving." John shuffled back in his seat. James could still feel the imprint of his hand on his thigh and he shifted minutely. 

He was already hopeless over John Silver, and they were only on their first date. 

 

Dinner was at a cozy Italian restaurant a few blocks from James' flat. Apparently this was the first place in the neighbourhood that James had eaten at when he first moved, and refused to eat anywhere else for dinner when he went out. John's chest swelled a little when he realised that James had taken him to 'his place'. It felt like he was just taking another step into his life, and firmly planting his feet. 

The restaurant was quiet, but not empty, and the owner, a small Italian woman called Marie, fawned over James like he was her son, and John absolutely melted. 

"Ah, you've brought me a handsome boy!" She exclaimed when she saw John and she squeezed his flaming cheeks, her smile motherly and teasing. 

James just laughed, the dick. 

The rest of the dinner was an intimate affair, with both of them tucked into a booth, knees touching under the table and casting shy smiles at each other. After two glasses of wine, John started get a bit giggly, cheeks so delectably rosy that James' stomach swooped. 

Halfway through John's third glass (Thank you very much, Marie) he became a little handsy under the table, and James decided it was time to go. 

Marie kissed John on both cheeks as they left, and threw James a very obvious wink. Marie was a perceptive woman. 

 

Back in his neighbourhood, John lost all pretence and draped himself around James, still a little tipsy from the wine. 

"I told a couple of my friends about you, they really want to meet you." James said, steering them down the stairs of Providence. John grinned up at him, holding onto his arm. 

"Really?" He asked, sweetly.

"Of course. Also I may have told them we were coming here tonight, so we may run into them." Almost as if summoned by his words, Idelle came tittering over to them in - good god! How was she walking in those heels? 

"Oh my god!" She squealed, her dark hair bouncing around her as she jumped up and down. 

John looked up at James with a quirked eyebrow, amusement curling his lips. 

James rolled his eyes fondly at her.  
"John, this is Idelle. Idelle, contain your excitement, this is John." Idelle's smile was predatory and she wrapped John in a tight hug. Considering their height difference and Idelle's monsterous heels, John's face was level with Idelle's ample cleavage. 

And James knew it was entirely intentional on her part. 

Finally letting him go, John stepped back with a beaming grin.  
"Nice to meet you. You've got fabulous tits that I feel like I know personally after that." 

Idelle looked so excited, James was genuinely worried she would implode. 

"Flint, I love him. I'm stealing him." She took John's hand, tugging him away, over to the bar.

"Hey!" James called out over and John laughed brightly, shrugging his shoulders in a 'what can you do?' gesture. 

"Eleanor's over there! Don't worry I won't lose him!" Idelle yelled, waving her hand over to the back. 

Rolling his eyes, James went in search of Eleanor. He found her sitting at one of the drinks tables, halfway through a Long Island Ice Tea. She waved him over when she caught his eye. 

Dropping into the empty seat,she grinned at him, swirling her straw around in her drink.  
"I saw Idelle kidnap your boy." She said and James caught a glimpse of John through the crowd, head thrown back as he cackled. 

"He didn't seem to mind." James shrugged, taking a sip of her ice tea, while she glared at him. 

"She's motorboating him." She deadpanned and James whipped his head around.

"Christ!" He yelled, although it turned into laughter as John came up for air, only to bend over in wheezing laughter. 

John was still laughing with Idelle when they broke through the crowd to their table, drinks in hand. 

"Could you not molest him please?" James said pointedly to Idelle who just shrugged, looking pleased with herself. 

John was still smiling, placing a whiskey in from of him with a flourish, taking a sip of whatever the hell cocktail he'd picked up. 

John focused his attention on Eleanor, shaking her hand in greeting. Oddly formal after his meeting of Idelle. 

"You're just as cute as James said." She said wryly and John smirked at him, enjoying the way James flushed in embarrassment. 

"My boyfriend would love you." Eleanor said after a moment of thought, pointing the end of her straw at him. 

"John is never meeting Vane." James said immediately and Idelle cackled, while John just looked confused. 

"I'm just saying!" She said, defensively, although she was smiling. 

James shook his head, drawing John close to his side.  
"Not happening." 

John looked between them all, brow furrowed.  
"I'm still confused." 

"She's saying that her straight, but not so straight boyfriend would find you fuckable." Idelle said, bluntly, laughing at John's stricken face. 

"I tolerate him for you, Eleanor." James said, thumb hooking into the belt loops of John's jeans. "But if he ever makes a pass, I will hit him." 

John never knew he liked a little possessiveness until now. Running his fingers through the hair at the base of James' neck, he titled his head up so that he could press their lips together briefly, they were with company after all. 

Pulling away, both girls were grinning at them. John cleared his throat, sipping at his drink to hide his embarrassment. 

"It's nice to finally meet some of James' friends, since he's already met mine." John said and James chuckled.

"I saw Billy and Ben in their usual spot." James said, with fond amusement. 

"Who?" Idelle jumped in and John pointed to the back wall where Billy had Ben pushed up against the painted brick, tongue down his throat. 

Idelle choked on her drink, coughing furiously.  
"Fucking hell!" She yelled between fits. 

"I can bring them over?" John offered. 

"Please do, before they see us staring at them." James said, shaking his head. He watched John sneak up behind Billy and jump on his back, arms around his neck. 

Billy tipped backwards, breaking away from Ben to pull John off his back. They talked amongst themselves for a moment before John took both their hands and guided them over to their table. 

Both Billy and Ben were flushed red and still a little glassy eyed, but smiling. 

After introductions, John settled on James' lap, arms linking around his neck, fingers playing distractedly with his hair. 

Conversation flowed easily as the table filled with empty glasses. Idelle was immediately smitten with Billy and Ben, hearts practically in her eyes as they talked. 

John had moved on from tipsy and was swaying to the music in his lap.  
"You want to go dance?" James said into his ear and John lit up. 

"Who wants to come dance?" John called out, pulling James to his feet.

Everyone but Eleanor, who was too dizzy to dance, filtered into the middle of the dance floor. 

John came alive when he danced, and it was intoxicating. James barely had time to breathe, as John pulled him in by his waist. 

Threading one leg between James', he guided their hips to sway to the music together, chests pressed tight. 

The way John danced could only be described as dirty. 

His hips had a mind of their own, gyrating and swaying, effectively turning James' brain to mush. Behind them Idelle was in heaven, squeezed in between Billy and Ben, the three of them giggling like children. 

"James, my dear, this has to come off." John bit his lip, fingers drawing up the hem of James' shirt. 

"Unfair." James growled in his ear as he was left shirtless. John kissed the hollow of his throat, smiling as he shucked off his jacket and tee, gathering them up in his hands and running them over to dump them with Eleanor who just laughed. 

Swinging back in James' arms, John felt dizzy and happier than he'd ever been. 

Catching James' face in his hands, he pressed their foreheads together, eyes glinting in the flashing lights. 

"Can I tell you a secret?" John whispered in his ear, his hot breath making James tingle. 

"Please." James smirked, running his hands down the damp skin of John's back. 

Brushing their cheeks together, John said, with a smile in his voice.  
"I think about you, all the time." 

James pressed a wet kiss onto the side of John's neck, tasting the salt of his sweat and skin.  
"Yeah? I think about you too." He murmured into his jaw, nipping lightly. 

Scratching his nails through James' hair, John chuckled in his ear, the sensation causing James' eye to roll into the back of his head.  
"But, specifically." John caught his earlobe between his teeth and sucked. If they weren't pressed so tightly together as they swayed, James' knees would surely have buckled. 

"Specifically, I've been thinking about you fucking me." He punctuated this with a thrust of his hips forward. 

"Yeah?" James' head was so foggy, with lust, with whiskey, with the sound of John's voice and the feel of his skin. 

"And about me fucking you?" John voice was light, as if he didn't just turn James' stomach inside out. 

"You have?" James choked out, his fingers clamping down on John's hips with bruising pressure. 

"Yep." John said, popping the 'p'. His hands encircled James' wrists. "I think about, holding your hands above your head, so you can't touch." John spoke his filthy words straight into his ear, his soft lips brushing his skin. 

"Then I think about you touching." John moved his hands down to his lower back, James' palms running over the curve of his ass through his dark jeans. 

James had never felt so lost in lust from just words whispered in his ear and soft hands running over his skin. 

"I need to be in you." James growled, tongue tracing over John's lips, drawing his hands up to bury his fingers through his hair. 

"James." John moaned, turning the kiss into a demanding battle for dominance that left his bones weak. 

They weren't even dancing anymore, barely swaying at they kissed in the centre of the dance floor. Music pulsed around them, but it was blocked out by the pound of John's heart in his ears. 

"I think-" James panted against his mouth. "We should probably go back to my place?" John smiled, nodding his head. 

They passed Billy and Ben on the way back to the table. Billy was draped over Ben, eyes closed as he rested his head on his shoulder. Ben waved at them, cheek pressed into his boyfriend's hair.

Picking up their clothes, James kissed Idelle and Eleanor goodbye and, to his amusement, so did John. Idelle pouted at them. 

"Why are you leaving? It's still early!" She was, in three words, completely shit-faced. 

"Idelle...I'm sorry, but if we don't get home now, we're going to be arrested for public indecency 'cause we're going to fuck whether there are people around or not." John cackled as James slapped him on the arm.

"No we're not!" He exclaimed, pulling on his shirt over his head. 

"Shame." Eleanor said and John smirked. 

James untucked the collar of his coat, taking John's arm and steering him away before he got sucked into any ideas. 

 

The cab ride to James' apartment was tense. Solely due to the fact that John's hand was rubbing the inseam on his jeans, edging closer and closer to his crotch. 

No matter how many warning glances he sent his way, John kept that lascivious grin on his face, his long fingers dancing across his zipper. 

The burley looking cab driver kept giving them angry glances through the rear view mirror. James made sure to tip him. 

Once free of the suffocating confines of the cab's backseat, John ran ahead, stealing his keys from his pocket along the way. James half-heartedly chased after him, just to make him fumble with the keys at the door. As James neared him, John let out a squeak, bursting the door open and running away like a frightened deer, leaving the keys still in the lock. 

Rolling his eyes, James locked the door behind him, shedding his jacket as he searched for John, who had vanished. 

"Are we playing hide and seek now?" James called out, stepping out of his shoes. Listening intently, he heard a faint laugh from his bedroom. 

"Marco?" James teased, and the laughter grew, but he didn't get an answer. 

Stopping at the threshold of his bedroom, James' heart pounded a melody in his ears. John had apparently been gunning for a head start. 

Splayed out in the middle of his bed, John's hair spilled over his pillows like ink, and his eyes burned. With on leg propped up, and his fingers playing with the necklace at his throat, John looked as if he were posing for a painting. 

Not to mention he was completely naked. 

James wished he had a camera, to capture this moment forever. John's skin was glowing brown under the warm lamp light and his lithe chest expanded with panting breaths. 

With his legs slightly parted, James had a perfect view of his already hard dick laying on the join of his thigh and hip, the pink skin of his dripping head in stark contrast to the dark hairs that trailed from his groin down to his cleft. 

James' mouth filled with saliva at the memory of the taste of his puckered skin and the salty precome that dribbled out of his slit. 

"James." John hoarse whisper broken him out of his reverie, and James could see his hand clenching on his thigh, desperate to take a hold of himself. 

"John..." He could hear how deep his voice was, riddled with uncontainable lust. 

John chewed on the tips of his fingers, anxiously.  
"Are you just going to stand there?" He said quietly.

"Absolutely not." James grinned like a shark, kicking the door shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for stopping it there!


	9. Careless Whisper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dim the lights, crank the smooth jazz and pour some wine, cause it's smut o'clock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a shorter chapter than usual but oh well the next chapter is going to be long so it'll even out.
> 
> Also the song for this chapter is Careless Whisper by George Michael :):):):)

Sensations crawled up his spine and muddled his thoughts, as James sucked purplish bruises into the pale insides of his thighs. Fingers clenched in James' auburn hair, John whined, restlessly bucking up against the arm pinning him to the mattress. 

James too, was moaning against his skin, gaze heavy as he peaked up at John through his red eyelashes. Biting down on the tendon where thigh met groin, James delighted in the shout that worked its way through John's sumptuous lips. 

Pulling back, James surveyed his work, pushing down on the half a dozen bruises that littered his skin. John's spread legs seized around shoulders. 

"Yes." John hissed, heels digging into James' naked back, pulling him closer. 

"You're so beautiful." James whispered, reverently, parting John's thighs and exposing his loosened hole. John panted, raising his head to watch James tongue the puckered skin of his hole with fervour. John gasped, his hands pulling at his own hair as his eyes rolled back in his head. 

"Fuck! James - your mouth - you're killing me." John groaned, squirming into the slick heat of James' tongue. 

Christ. James rutted against the mattress, nose filled with the musk of John's groin and the taste of his skin. 

"Is there - ah! - lube anywhere close?" John panted, hand rubbing over James' hair. 

James crawled up onto his knees, cock bobbing between his legs. John's tongue flicked out over his lips, gaze drawn to the slick red head of his cock. He wanted it in him. Now. 

"Bedside draw." James panted and John scrambled onto his side to rifle around for the lube. 

Throwing it at James with a "catch!", John twisted onto his stomach, shifting around until he was comfortable. 

James groaned behind him, hands mapping out all the skin displayed for him. The dip of his spine, the shallows of his dimples and the curvature of his ass that James would admit he was slightly obsessed with. 

Slicking up his fingers, he used one hand to part John's cheeks. Teasing his finger around his entrance, he pushed past the tight ring of muscle before pulling out. A tease.

John whined in protest, throwing him a look over his shoulder.  
"James, you just ate me out for half an hour. If you continue your teasing, I will take matters into my own hands." He growled, back bowing so his ass was up in the air, hips wiggling enticingly. 

Although James wouldn't be adverse to letting John use him how he pleased, the desire to take John, to control his pleasure, was just too overwhelming. 

Keeping eye contact with John, he plunged three fingers into his hole with a twist of his wrist. John's head dropped down onto the bed, spine arching as profanities spilled out of mouth. 

Feeling a little too pleased with himself, James worked to drive John crazy with the thrusts of his fingers inside him. John was babbling, words muffled by the pillow shoved between his teeth.

"Feel good?" James murmured, eyes transfixed on John's puffy rim, sucking him in. 

John just moaned in response, titling his hips into the pressure. 

"What about now?" James asked, curling his hand to run over his prostate. John screamed, his hole fluttering around James' knuckles. 

"Please." He begged, pulling himself up onto his hands and knees, his blue eyes pleading. He already looked wrecked, and James hadn't even got his cock on him yet. 

"Christ, John, look at you." James marvelled, hands gripping onto his hips, fingers digging into the divots of his hip bones. 

Slicking up his cock, James shuffled forward on his knees. Lining up his cock, he watched John intently for any signs of pain as he guided himself in. 

"Oh, fuck." James gasped at the hot clench of John's body around him. John was watching him, panting as James' hips hit his ass, bottoming out. 

"You good?" John laughed breathlessly at James' glazed eyes and slack jaw. 

"I'm trying really hard not to come, so stop talking and for god's sake stay still." James closed his eyes, grinning. John bit his lip, squeezing around James who curved forward with a shout. 

"Fuck! I thought I told you to not do anything." James growled, hair fanning across his eyes. John grinned like the little shit he was.

"I thought you'd know I don't do well with rules." To enunciate his point, John thrust his hips back, effectively fucking himself on James' cock. 

"John!" He shouted, gripping onto his hips to thrust into him hard, just to wipe that self-satisfied smirk off his face. John's head hung between his shoulders, spine shuddering as James' thrusts increased. 

John gasped on a particularly hard thrust that pushed him further up the bed. He was so full, his skin felt too tight around him and too warm, but it was so good. 

Sweat beading at his brow, James planted a hand on the centre of John's back, pushing him down until his shoulders were pressed into the bedding. The new angle stole the breath from John's lungs, turning his bones to liquid.

"Yes, right there. James." John gasped, hands clenching in the sheets. 

James couldn't do anything but comply. Using both hands to hold him open, James sped up his thrusts, pounding the head of his cock into that spot inside that made John whimper. 

Snaking a hand underneath him, James grasped John's weeping cock in his hands. 

"James." John whined, helpless to his onslaught. James gave him a few slow, tight strokes, before the angle twinged his wrist.

"God damnit." James growled. "John, sit up." He said, a bit gentler, helping John lean back against his chest. John moaned, arms reaching behind him to run through James' hair, chest stretched out tight in this new position, and legs straining. Continuing the motion of his hips, James' teeth set into the join of John's neck in front of him, arms coming up to wrap around his waist, coaxing John to rest most of his weight against James' front. 

John tossed his head back on James' shoulder, moaning straight into his ear as light burst behind his eyelids.  
"James." He gasped, holding onto the his hair to keep himself steady as James drove into him. 

James bit and sucked more marks along his shoulder and neck, unable to help himself as pleasure clouded over him. Trailing a hand up John's chest, he could feel his muscles shift under his skin as he took shuddering breaths. 

Rubbing over one nipple, James grinned against his neck as John whimpered. Rolling his nipple between his fingers, James hooked his chin over his shoulder, watching the sensitive nub turn rosy and puffy. Between his legs, John's cock was leaking steadily onto the sheets below them, twitching every time James pinched with his fingers.

"Are you close?" James panted, sucking the lobe of his ear into his mouth, slowing down his thrusts. John squirmed, nodding his head. 

James pulled out, much to John's chagrin. He gave him a withering glare, that was ineffectual considering the debauched state of him. 

"Easy." James laughed, flipping John onto his back to settle between his legs again. 

James paused, rocking back on his heels to just look at him. John smirked up at him, hair fanned out wildly around his head like a halo on the pillow. 

"You look like you want to kiss me, Mr Flint?" John said, a cheeky smile on his face that James mirrored. In one fell swoop, James captured his mouth in a kiss. 

Sucking in air through his nose, John keened, fingers ultimately finding their way back into James' soft hair. 

"Fuck me, please." John muttered against his lips, sucking James' tongue into his mouth, earning a punched out groan from the man above him. 

Breaking the kiss, James pushed into him with a sigh, a smile playing on his lips. John made that humming noise, turning James' cheek in his palm to slot their mouths back together as James delivered deliciously slow thrusts into his aching hole. 

John felt that familiar tightening in his gut and he moaned, nails digging into James' scalp. Titling his hips, on the next thrust, James hit right on his prostate and John wailed, shuddering underneath him as his cock pulsed over his stomach without even being touched. James groaned at the sight, resting their foreheads together and quickening his pace, fucking John through the aftershocks of his orgasm.

He was so close, he just needed something more. John watched his brow furrow in concentration, through half-lidded eyes. A lazy grin spread out across his face as he clenched down on his cock, practically ripping his climax from him. James cursed, eyes rolling in his head as he filled John with his come. 

Once he'd come down, James pulled out gently, kissing John sweetly when he gave a small wince.  
"Sorry." He murmured and John just shook his head, picking up James' shirt from the floor to wipe the come from his stomach. 

"Hey!" James protested, half-heartedly swatting at him. John giggled, wriggling into James' arms with a contented sigh. 

"What time is it?" John slurred against his shoulder. James buried his nose in John's hair, pulling the duvet up to their waists.

"Late, go to sleep." James replied, eyes already closed. 

Smiling to himself, John settled into the warmth of James' body and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter James gets some surprise (and unwelcome) visitors.


	10. By My Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which two different sets of people, interupt two different sets of plans.

John meandered his way back to James' apartment, groceries piled in one hand, the other flicking ash off his cigarette. It was bloody cold outside and he was missing the warmth of James' bed. 

Smiling to himself, John really hoped James was still as he'd left him. Splayed out in the centre of the bed, sheets tangled around his bare legs and an arm tossed over his eyes. Although it was almost lunch, John had given him a pretty spectacular hand job before he left, knocking James out for a while. 

God, he'd looked so gorgeous spread out underneath him, hands scrambling at the bedding as John worked him over, watching him with heavy lidded green eyes. 

Tossing his cigarette into the gutter, John stared at a glossy black BMW parked outside James' building. Whistling lowly to himself, John twirled James' keys around his finger, taking the steps two at a time to his door, eager to get back to bed.

Halfway up, John looked up from his feet and stopped in his tracks. 

Someone was waiting outside James' flat. Two people, actually. 

A woman and a man, about mid fifties. The woman wore a knee length grey coat that looked like it cost more than John's entire wardrobe, and black slacks. The man beside her was taking off his scarf from around his neck, revealing his ginger beard and John started freaking out. Holy fuck. 

The man must have caught sight of John out of the corner of his eye, because he spun around, brow furrowed and expression severe. 

"Who the hell are you?" He said sternly, assessing him. With her hand still raised to knock again, the woman turned to stare at John, mouth drawn tight.

"Um..." John said eloquently, keys dangling from his fingers. He was about four steps away from the top landing and it felt too close. John wanted to be down the bottom, possibly out on the street where it was safe. 

The man's eyes flickered down to his torso.  
"And why the hell are you wearing my son's coat?"

Before John could stammer out an answer, the door swung open and a very drowsy looking James filled the doorway. He was wearing navy sleep pants and a black t-shirt, thank god, John was really worried he'd come to the door as naked as he'd left him. 

Taking in the scene before him, James' eyes went comically wide.   
"Mum, dad? What are you doing here?" He took a step back, reluctantly pushing the door open wider so that his parents could squeeze their way through. 

John and James shared a tense glance. Slipping into the flat, John made a bee-line for the kitchen under the guise of putting away the groceries, when really he just couldn't stand James' parent's withering glares. 

Leaning up against the doorway to the kitchen, John crossed his arms over his chest, trying to look as small as possible.

It didn't work. 

James' mother motioned over her should to where John was standing and asked. "Who is this?" 

"That's John." James said, bluntly with a shrug. His parents glared at him. 

"And who is John and why is he wearing the very expensive coat I bought you?" His father asked, impatiently. John shifted uncomfortably in the coat, casting James worried glances. 

"It looks better on him." James replied with a smirk and a hot thrill ran down John's spine, despite his apprehension.

His mother pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.  
"James, please." 

"What, mother?" James' jaw clenched. 

"We thought this...phase of yours was over." His mother seemed to choose her words carefully, but it still had the same effect as slapping both James and John straight across the face. 

"So you turn up at my door, unannounced, after six months of nothing, and this is the first thing you say to me?" James' brow was drawn tight, looking more tense than John had ever seen him. 

"James-" His father began but James held up his hand.

"Stop right there." He said in warning and his father sighed. "I'm going to get dressed." And with that, James left John alone with his parents. 

After a short, pregnant silence, John was crawling out of his skin.  
"Um, are you staying for lunch? I'm making pasta?" 

Neither of them answered him, or even looked at him in fact and John sighed, following James into his room. 

Closing the door softly behind him, John sat down on the edge of the bed while James rifled through his clothes to find a shirt. 

Turning around, a green button up in his hand, James registered John's presence in the room and his expression fell.

"I'm so sorry, John. I had no idea they were coming." He scrambled into the shirt, fingers fumbling with the buttons due to his obvious anxiety. 

"I got that." John smiled, trying to relieve some of the tension. "I don't know how to act around parents." He said on an afterthought. He didn't. He hadn't had a proper relationship before and he hadn't really had the time to even think about the possibility of meeting James' parents, especially after what John had heard about them.

"You don't have to make them like you, cause I can guarantee they won't." John pouted and James stepped between his knees to cradle his face between his large palms and kiss him sweetly.

"You are charming and beautiful. But they will immediately look past that, because all they'll think when they look at you is that you have a cock." 

"A nice cock?" John grinned up at him. 

"Yes, a very nice cock." James relented, although a smile tugged at his lips. John breathed out a relieved breath at the sight. 

"What are they doing here?" John said quietly, even though there was absolutely no way they could hear him from the living room.

"I honestly don't know." James shook his head, as John helped do up the last few buttons of his shirt. "They love to pop up uninvited, then we fight, I tell them to go fuck themselves and they ignore my existence for another six months." 

"I'm sorry." John said, sadly. 

"It's okay." Even thought it obviously wasn't. James collected himself, grasping John's hand in his to pull him to his feet. 

Resting their foreheads together, James groaned.  
"Lets just try and get through this, then I will make this up to you." 

 

Busying himself with lunch preparations, John kept an ear out as James attempted to keep conversation civil and sparse with his parents in the living room. 

James seemed to be steering their conversations topics away from himself or John, opting for asking about James' relatives. 

"James?" John called out, and within a second James was at his side, happy to have an excuse to leave the conversation. 

"How's it going in there?" John whispered conspiratorially, handing him a stack of plates. James rolled his eyes in response.

 

After dishing out the pesto, an uncomfortable silence settled over the table as they ate. John kept his head down, afraid eye contact would lead to tense conversation. 

Again, it didn't work.

"So, John? What do you do?" James' mother asked. Each word sounded like she was pulling teeth. 

Pushing his food around with his fork, John cleared his throat.   
"I've just moved out of home, actually and am living with a couple of friends. I'm not working at the moment, though." 

She hummed, eyes calculating and judging. Across the table, John saw James' eyes narrow. 

"Your mother let you leave home without a job to support yourself?" She seemed baffled and John went red. Not out of embarrassment, but discomfort. 

"My mother died when I was fifteen." He said lowly and James looked apologetic.

Surprisingly, his mother put a hand on his arm.  
"I'm very sorry to hear that."

"Thank you, Mrs Flint. But, I was in a situation where I had to leave." John forced out. 

"What did you do?" His dad asked and James looked furious.

"Jesus Christ! Just stop it!" James slammed his palm down on the wooden table, rattling his cutlery. 

"James, it's ok." John tried to placate the situation.

"I wasn't trying to be rude." His father mumbled, rather petulantly and James rolled his eyes. 

"Well, you were unsuccessful." He retorted. 

"I was just trying to get to know your...friend." His father said delicately and John couldn't hide his wince. 

"What would you like to know?" John crossed his arms in front of him, leaning against the table, feigning the confidence he didn't really feel. James looked a bit apprehensive, but John smiled at him reassuringly. Surely his father was only trying to understand his son's life. 

"Alright." His father laced his fingers together and focused his piercing gaze John's way. His eyes were brown, he noticed, almost black. Thank god James hadn't inherited that trait, he looked demonic. And plus James' green eyes were too pretty to give up.

"How old are you?" 

"Eighteen." John said and James' mother raised her eyebrows. 

"How'd you meet my son?" 

He'd have to choose his words carefully.  
"At a bar." 

"What school did you go to?"

"St Andrews Catholic College." 

His father actually seemed a little impressed. But it was far outweighed by his suspicion. 

"You're only eighteen, why did you leave home so soon?" James' fists curled against the grain of the wood at the question. 

"My alcoholic step-father was abusing me." John said bluntly, although his hands were shaking under the table. Both of sets of eyes tracked straight to the bruise high on his cheek, which was brown and yellow now. 

Silence descended upon the table once more and John cleared his throat.  
"Perhaps we should talk about something else?" He offered, and James was relieved he hadn't bolted for the door. 

"I agree." His mother piped up. "I meant to ask you, what ever happened to Richard's daughter, Eleanor? You were quite close during university?"   
Yes, John thought, talking about other people was safe.

"We still are. She works with me." James shrugged.

"Is she single?" She said hopefully and John cringed. 

"Why? Are you interested?" James snarked and in any other circumstance, John would have laughed. 

His mother crinkled her nose at him.   
"James, don't be vulgar. I was just asking because-" She patted John's arm condescendingly. "- well you seem like very nice boy, John. But James is getting to the point in his life where he has to start thinking about his future. You know your father are I were married by your age." John couldn't believe what he was hearing.

James, on the other hand, looked like he either wanted to vomit or set himself on fire.   
"It's been eight years, mum. When are you going to figure out that my future is never going to involve marriage, especially not to a woman." 

"Son." His dad tried to butt in.

"I understand that it goes against the way you were raised to see the world, but I'm your son for goodness sakes. I've never asked for you to be completely on board. All I'm asking is for you to at least try and support me?" James was getting upset, John could see it in his eyes and the clenching of his jaw, but he was trying to tamp it down.

"How could we do that, James?" His mother said, pleadingly. "It was okay when you were sixteen, you were a confused child. But your twenty four years old, your a man!" 

"Yes, I'm a man, who likes men." James reiterated for the hundredth time in his short life.

"James." 

"Don't you scold me mother, I'm not in the wrong here." 

"This rebellion against us has gone on long enough." His father said, going red in the face.

"If I have been rebelling this whole time, then why did I work so hard to keep Thomas a secret from you for two years?" James threw up his hands in exasperation and his mother pinched her nose again.

"Please don't bring him up." She said quietly, but James was having none of it.

"Because you're ashamed of me? Go on, say it." He pushed.

"The Hamiltons were a very influential family. It was embarrassing to have to explain to his father that you'd sullied their son." She continued and John dropped his fork in shock.

"Do you hear yourselves?" James yelled, shaking his head like he couldn't believe what was happening. John knew how he felt.

"We didn't come here to fight with you." His father said, tersely. John was wondering if he spoke any other way.

"What did you come here for? So far the only thing you've done is insult me, insult John and completely embarrass yourselves." 

"We're embarrassing? How do you think we feel when your relatives ask about you? When we say that we haven't seen you for months because you don't come visit us?" She said and James' expression went calm, although his eyes were venomous.

"What reason do I have to visit you?" He said, voice lowered.

"We're your parents! We're your only family." His mother yelled.

"My friends are my family." James replied easily, getting a little thrill when both his parents' jaws dropped. 

"How can you say that?" His father straightened his back, lips thin under his trim beard.

"Because they accept me for who I am. They do more than that, they love me for it. And that's more than you've ever done." James said coldly.

"We're just trying to do what's best for you." His mother said, looking like she wanted to reach for his hand, but it was clenched into a fist.

"What is best for him?" Everyone looked at John who hadn't spoken throughout the argument. He looked resolute and angry, ready to defend.

"We decide what's best for our son." James' father dismissed him.

"Is pretending to be something he's not, what's best for him?" John asked, sarcastically.

"I think you should stay out of this." He further warned, but John was sick of this.

"And I think you should get your head out of your ass and realise that there is nothing wrong with your son." 

His father looked ready to climb across the table, but was stopped by James' mother's hand on his arm. 

"I think it's time we left." She said, pointedly not looking at John anymore.

"I think that's for the best." James said, and his expression was so defeated, John's chest ached.

When he shut the door behind his parents, James' forehead thumped against it, the wood feeling cool against his flushed skin.

He felt John come up behind him and press his cheek against the space between his shoulder blades, arms snaking around his waist. 

"Did I make things worse? I didn't mean to?" John mumbled against his back. James turned in his hold and kissed him, hands cupping his cheeks. John smiled against his lips, relishing in the happy sigh that unlocked in James' chest.

"What was that for?" John tangled his fingers in James' shirt, keeping him close. James' eyes were warm peering down at him, the tension in his brow and around his mouth smoothed out. 

"For telling my father to get his head out of his ass." They both chuckled at the absurdity of it all and John tucked head under his chin.

"Anytime." 

 

With James' hand skating up his back in a soothing motion, John wiggled closer to throw an arm across his torso, radiating in the heat of James' body against his. 

James looked exhausted, head tipped back over to top of the couch, fingers rubbing circles into his eyes. Tension was slowly returning to his shoulders, drawing them up towards his ears and furrowing his brow.

There was a record spinning idly, one of James' that John had never heard before, but it was nice to combat the silence. 

"Well that wasn't exactly the romantic lunch I'd have planned." James rumbled, titling his chin to press his nose into John's hair.

"We'll have other chances." 

John reached up to caress James' smooth cheek, thumb brushing his downturned lips. 

"I'm sorry." James sighed, turning into his hand, eyes sliding shut. "I'm just in a bit of a mood." 

"Understandable...do you want me to go?" His eyes were wide and beseeching and it forced a smile from James.

Stroking his fingers over his cheekbone, James pressed a kiss to his forehead.   
"I was actually hoping that you'd want to stay the whole weekend?" 

John's face bloomed into a beaming smile, as bright as the sun, and he clambered his way into James' lap to press kisses all over his face. Usually, this would have made James laugh and flip John onto his back to kiss him deeper. But all he could manage was a small smile. 

"I need to go get some extra clothes." He mumbled against his skin.

"We can do that." James said, voice a little dull.

John pouted, holding onto James' collar. 

"What can we do to make you feel better?"

"I'll get over it." James waved him off, but John just shook his head.

"I know what we can do." John shuffled in his lap. "How about we go to mine, we get everyone together for pizza and some movies. You can call up Idelle and Eleanor, see if they want to come?" John was brimming over with eagerness at the idea, and James pecked him on the lips.

"That sounds perfect actually." 

"It always makes me feel better to be around family." John said quietly, his smile dimmed to something sweeter and secretive, that warmed James inside. 

 

Brandishing his new keys with a flourish, John let James carry the bags filled to the brim with junk food and booze, which James pretended to be annoyed about.

"Did you call them first? To see what they're doing?" James asked, eyes trained on John's ass which was deliberately swaying in front of him as they headed up the stairs. 

Barging their way through the front door, James got his answer. John definitely had not called ahead. 

Billy and Ben were both clothed, that was their saving grace. It didn't quite help considering Billy was slumped back on the couch, face sex-flushed and panting, with Ben nestled between his splayed knees. With one hand tucked under Billy's shirt, Ben's head bobbed between his legs, drawing out purely filthy moans from Billy's mouth. 

"Jesus fuck!" John yelled, while James fumbled to not drop the bags in shock. 

Billy's eyes widened and he scrambled to throw a pillow over his lap to cover himself, while Ben just sat back on his heels, looking very unsure as how to proceed through this mortifying experience. 

"I thought you were at James'!" Billy yelled back, reaching under the cushion to zip himself up. 

"We are going to sit on that couch!" John scolded, pointing his finger accusingly at them. "There better not be any jizz stains!" 

James looked like he was going to pass out, he was blushing so hard.

"Go fuck in your room." 

Billy flailed his arms around.  
"Well not anymore, you kind of ruined it." Ben nodded, tucking himself in beside Billy, wiping at his blood flushed lips. 

"Fantastic! Cause everyone's coming over for pizza and Idelle's renting some movies." 

"Has something happened?" Billy asked, perceptive bastard. 

James looked confused and John looped their arms together to draw him close.  
"We only ever really do this when one of us, usually me, needs to take their mind of something." 

"Oh." James liked that.

"Is everything okay?" Billy was looking at James, brow furrowed in concern and it kind of warmed him a little. He'd only known John's friends for about a week, yet they were steadily become his friends as well. 

"Yeah, yeah, it's nothing really. Just, my parents made a surprise visit and it was not pleasant." James shrugged it off.

Both Ben and Billy winced in sympathy.

"Did they know already?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, for eight years, doesn't make a difference though." James dropped his head a little and John guided him into the armchair and sat on the arm, taking the bags and placing them on the coffee table.

"It was a very awkward lunch, I must say." John said, throwing his legs over James' lap.

James smirked a little as he said. "John told my dad to get his head out of his ass." 

Billy burst out laughing, until there were tears in his eyes.  
"That I can believe. Parents generally don't like him." 

"That wasn't my fault. I didn't know that was your dad!" Jame felt like he didn't want to know, but he absolutely had to know.

"What did you do to Billy's dad?" He asked, eyes narrowed.

"I didn't do anything to him!" John threw up his hands. "Alright, so it was like two years ago, me and Billy were friends, but not really close friends yet. Basically..." 

"Basically we just met up to make out." Billy finished for him. John blushed and James grinned up at him.

"Yes, pretty much. So we'd met up at the park and it was getting dark. So we were sitting on the bench with my tongue down his throat and all of a sudden I here this 'hey!' From behind us. Now, I thought it was just some douchebag so I turn around and tell him to fuck off." 

"I think your exact words were 'get fucked, dickweed." Everyone was red in the face from laughing already, in anticipation.

"And then, Billy just goes 'Hi, dad.' And I turn around again and there's Mr Bones, face all red and looking like he wanted to pick me up and bodily throw me away from Billy." John chuckled, hiding his face in James' neck.

"Do you make out with all of your friends?" James was shuddering with laughter, tears in his eyes and John shrugged.

"Only these two really, and only when we're drunk." John motioned over to Billy and Ben. Both men shrugged, small smirks on their faces.

"We are quite good." Billy said, cockily, and James flushed deeper.

"Oh! And there was that one time with Max but we were really, really drunk." And before James could delve into that little anecdote, the lady herself buzzed up to the flat. 

 

"My beautiful boys!" Max entered with a flick of her waves and a sea of Chanel perfume. "I brought some treats!" She exclaimed, holding up four bottles of red wine. John gave James a sneaky smirk, bringing back memories of the last time John had had red wine, where he had proceeded to feel James up under the table. 

"Maxine! James and I would love a glass!" John called out. 

Handing over two very full glasses of wine, Max kissed everyone on the cheek hello, squeezing herself into the space next to Ben with a grin. 

"So I hear some of your lady friends are coming?" She directed at James.

"Idelle and Eleanor." James said.

"Idelle motorboated me." Ben said with a grin, pouring himself a glass of red.

"It's her version of hello." James laughed.

 

Eleanor and Idelle buzzed up together, bringing not only some videos, but shockingly even more wine, which nobody was complaining about. 

Idelle and Eleanor seamlessly were worked into the fold of the group, just as James had, until it was like they'd always been there. 

 

John was on his fourth glass of wine and had slipped fully into James' lap after glass number two. Incorrigible as he was, John put down their glasses and curled his arms around his neck, teasing him into soft, but sensual kisses that made James completely tune out the movie playing in the background.

Trying to be quiet eventually failed, as a cushion thrown by Max hit them straight in the face and they broke apart, smiling sheepishly. 

"Hey! I was watching that!" Idelle pouted and John grinned, fingers carting through his hair to continue kissing James slow and deep. Idelle whooped and clapped in encouragement, throwing popcorn at them in her own little celebration.

With his head resting against John's chest, James felt more at peace than he had in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all so self indulgent I don't know why anyone reads this.


	11. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> school antics and 'co-curricular' activities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is named after the song 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' by Starship.  
> It's a very obscure reference the Jefferson Airplane album mentioned in this chapter as - you may or may not know - the band Jefferson Airplane was a hippie 60s and 70s band that transitioned to Jefferson Starship and then eventually Starship, hence the song. Fun fact.

Usually English was bearable, sometimes even interesting, given it wasn't poetry. But today, with Mr Belle droning on about the misconceptions of Lady Macbeth's character, John wished that graduation would come a little sooner. 

To waste time until the saviour that is the lunch bell, John was showcasing his hickeys to Muldoon at the back of the class.

"Is he trying to eat you?" Muldoon chuckled, poking the one under the hinge of his jaw. 

"Trying? He's already done it." John waggled his eyebrows and Muldoon smothered a laugh, rather unsuccessfully. 

"Mr Silver, Mr Muldoon." Mr Bell said, exasperated. Honestly, it was getting tedious how much their conversations got interrupted by teachers. 

John and Muldoon were quiet for all of five minutes before they were back to whispering.  
"I can't believe you're not a virgin anymore." Muldoon shook his head. "I feel betrayed." 

"I'm sorry, you're my friend, but it was too fucking amazing to care." John shrugged. 

"Details?" Muldoon rested his chin in his hand, grinning broadly. 

"How graphic do you want this to get?" John laughed, flipping open his text and pretending to read it when Mr Bell glared at him. 

"I want like R-rated movie level." Muldoon persisted. 

"Strap yourself in motherfucker, cause you're going to get an erection." 

 

Sitting out on the sports field at lunch, they soaked up the sliver of sun peaking through the heavy grey clouds hanging above their heads.

"We should take a gap year and you should come with me and we'll go all around Australia." John spoke up, reclining back on his elbows. 

"That sounds amazing." Muldoon said, fingers linked over his stomach, squinting against the glare.

"I mean I have no money and it'll never happen but, you know, we can dream." John shrugged. 

"Yeah I have no money either." Muldoon sighed, shading his eyes with his hands to look up at him.

"But I've only been to four of the states and territories." John grinned. Muldoon rolled his eyes.

"I want to go to a beach with sand, you know, without pebbles." Muldoon groused and John hummed.

"I miss the beaches the most." He sighed, drifting off for a moment.

"What are you thinking about?" Muldoon broke through his reverie, giving him a knowing look.

"I'm thinking about getting James on a beach, maybe in some speedos. Me rubbing sun screen all over his back." A sly smile stretched his face and Muldoon pushed him over, both of them laughing.

"Oh my god, just bum each other and get it over with." Dufresne butted in, standing over them with a snarl.

"Dufresne, always a delight." John rolled his eyes, voice thick with sarcasm. 

"Have you got fucking hickeys on your neck, Silver?" Dufresne laughed. "Did you actually bum each other? Nasty." 

"Hilarious." John deadpanned.

"Then who are they from then?" Dufresne asked, waiting for John to trip up. 

"Your mum, she's a right cougar, isn't she?" John grinned and Muldoon burst out a sharp laugh.

"Shut the fuck up." Dufresne growled at them.

"Show some respect for your new dad." Muldoon said, smile lilting his voice. 

"Bloody fags." Dufresne spat, before storming off. It was his usual comeback when he had nothing else to say. 

Once Dufresne was out of ear shot, John laid down flat in the grass, arms stretched out above him, head pillowed in his linked hands.

"A fag I may be, but I bet you a tenner I could still fuck his mum." 

 

"Boys." Mr Donovan said politely as he passed them in the hallway, although there was an obvious tension around his mouth that indicated just how much contempt he held for John, and by association, Muldoon. 

Neither of them replied, opting to roll their eyes at each other in silent solidarity that Donovan was and will always be a prick in their eyes.

"We need to revise the story about Father Donovan and Dufresne. It's getting a little stale." Muldoon commented.

"I've got an idea." John said, gears working in his head, pulling on Muldoon's arm to steer them back to where Father Donovan had gone.

 

Just as expected, Dufresne disappeared into Father Donovan's office like he always did during lunch times. To complain about teachers and nark on students, John could imagine. 

John and Muldoon were just out of sight, waiting for the right time. Now, with Dufresne on the other side of the closed door, John nudged Muldoon into action. 

Muldoon gathered all the skills he'd learned in senior drama and strolled past the office, stopping in his tracks. 

Pretending to spin around in shock, Muldoon furiously called John over in a hushed whisper. 

This was all for the benefit of the stream of people coming in both directions down the hall. They needed attention, they needed a crowd. 

Crouching slightly, both Muldoon and John pressed their ears up against the wooden door. 

A few people had stopped to watch them, quizzical expressions on their faces. This hall held the senior lockers, so most of the people around knew who John and Muldoon were and would most certainly know Dufresne. Additionally, it was mostly the seniors who'd heard about the rumour. 

More of them came to a stop when they started laughing, ears still pressed to the door, pretending to eavesdrop.

"What are you doing?" Dooley came up to them, brows scrunched. John shushed him, pointing to the door. 

John pretended to be shocked as he took a step away from the door.

"What?" Dooley whispered. A couple of Dooley's friends were gathering and John was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes.

"Dufresne's been called in for a 'special meeting'." John over exaggerated the words and everyone's eyes honed in on the door.

"What are they doing?" One of Dooley's friends asked.

"It was a bit muffled through the door but...." John smirked at the eagerness in everyone's eyes.

"But what?" 

"I think Dufresnes getting bummed over the desk." He said, lightly.

"That's what it sounds like." Muldoon agreed, ear still at the door. 

When Dooley came to listen Muldoon pushed him away with a hissed.  
"Someone's coming out." It was half a lie to make sure Dooley wouldn't listen in and hear nothing, ruining their entire plan.

By then,a decent sized crowd had gathered and at Muldoon's warning, they spread out, trying to be inconspicuous, but still with their eyes locked on the door. 

About a minute later, Dufresne came out, and much to John's glee, he was shifting around his blazer. Innocuous in any other situation, and it most definitely was just to adjust his shoulder strap on his bag, but to everyone watching, it was very suggestive of the potential defiling that had just occurred.

John started up a round of applause that echoed through the halls. The whole crowd thankfully joined him, hollering at him, causing Dufresne to jump back like a deer in the headlights. 

"Get it, Dufresne!" Dooley yelled out and everyone laughed.

"Fuck off, perverts." Dufresne grumbled, obviously caught off guard, as he made his escape down the hall. 

Sidling up to Dooley, John crossed his arms and smirked.  
"You think he would've fucked out some of that frustration. You know he gets called into Father Donovan's office almost everyday?" 

"Really?" Dooley was immediately roped in, the crowd was persistent, curling around him and Dooley, ears perked and eyes wide. 

"Yep." Lie. "I've even seen him pulled out of class for it." Lie. "It's easier during class causes the halls are empty and no one sees him go in our go out." 

John Silver was a natural born liar. Living the way he had, it was a necessity, rather than a skill.  
There was only a certain amount of times you could convince your teachers that a black eye was due to clumsy mishaps such as 'I ran into a door'. He had to get creative. 

Luckily he was also born with charm in spades. He had a trustworthy face, and a winning smile. He could sway anyone to think a certain way.

So these imbeciles were like putty in his hands, ready to be moulded. 

"Haven't you seen the way Father Donovan treats him?" John scoffed. "He's constantly staring at him, letting him get away with anything." 

"He got an extension on our English essay for no reason!" Joji said, realisation dawning on his face. Similar expressions filtered around the small group, amplified by whispers and shaking heads. 

"I heard about that!" Muldoon exclaimed to the group, catching John's eye for a moment. They'd been friends for long enough to communicate with just one look. And John's eyes said 'brilliant, run with it'.  
"Miss Jones was so pissed off because Dufresne hadn't come to her to fill out the forms. Instead Father Donovan jumped in and told her to give him another week." 

"Another week!" Logan yelled. 

"I told you guys. This isn't just a rumour anymore, it's fucking ridiculous." John shook his head, feigning disappointment, smothering a content smirk at the resounding affirmations. 

The bell interrupted them and everyone dispersed in a sea of angry murmurs. Dooley and Logan patted John and Muldoon on the shoulder as they headed back to class. 

Throwing his arm across Muldoon's shoulders, John steered them both down the hallway, grinning madly.

"Muld...do you know what that was?" He asked and Muldoon shot him a questioning glance, still smiling. 

"Progress." John beamed. "We're not the most popular people." Muldoon snorted at that. "But one thing I've learned in my short life, is that nothing brings people together more, than mutual hate." 

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Muldoon said, sagely and John slapped him on the arm, excitedly.

"That's the spirit! At this rate we'll have you fucking Logan by graduation!" John cackled as Muldoon's face flushed, elbowing John in the side to shut him up. 

 

Just catching his bus before the door closed, John breathed a sigh of relief, holding onto the aisle handles as the bus juddered into movement. Wanker bus driver didn't even wait for him to sit down. He hoped this bus stopped near James' flat, he was just guessing by the direction it was going.

Spotting the St Rita's girls from his usual bus route, John suppressed an eye roll. Samantha, conversely, brightened when she caught sight of him, elbowing her friends as she waved him over. 

"Hey." He said, politely, sliding into the seat in front of them. 

"Hey, John." Samantha said.

"This isn't your usual bus." John commented, releasing his hair from its tie. Samantha didn't answer for a second, distracted by his fingers untangling his unruly curls. John smiled to himself at the memory of James' fingers massaging circles into his scalp as John sucked the tip of his cock into his mouth, pushing James' hips down on his bed to stifle his wanton writhing. 

Clearing her throat, Samantha came back down to Earth, simultaneously drawing John out of his day dream.  
"We're going over to Julie's house. Where are you going?" 

John shrugged. "To a friend's house. Don't worry though-" He winked. "I moved out of home, but I'll still be taking the same bus as usual so you won't miss me too much." All three girls giggled, glancing coyly at each other. 

"You moved out of home? That's so cool!" Samantha said.

"Yeah, I moved in with my friend Billy and his boyfriend Ben." John dropped and all three girls went silent. 

"Oh, yeah?" Samantha said awkwardly, to fill the silence that had ensued. 

"Yep." John nodded, just yearning to say 'and now I'm going over to my boyfriends house to do some homework and seduce him'. It would be so satisfying to drop that bomb on them and leave. But no matter how happy it would make him to shock these girls and turn their heads around, they were also gossips. In a day, all of St Rita's would know about him, the next, all of St Andrew's. 

So instead, he just said, shouldering his bag. "This is my stop, I'll see you guys later." 

"Yeah, bye John." Samantha waved, still a little stunned, which was satisfying enough for him. 

 

James' face broke into a radiant smile when he opened the door for him. 

"Hi." He said, pulling John into his flat. 

"Hi." John reflected, lip pinched between his teeth. His chest swelled like it always did when James smiled at him. 

"How was school?" James asked, hanging up John's coat for him. John rolled his eyes, dumping out the contents of his bag on the dining table. 

"A little better than usual. Thanks for letting me study here. Ben and Billy are my best friends and all, but they're constantly fucking, and it's quite distracting when I'm trying to learn about cell division." James chuckled, walking over to the record player. 

"Is music too distracting?" James asked, coyly, bent over to fiddle with the needle. Looking over his shoulder, John was smirking his way. 

"No, but if you keep flaunting your ass around, I'm never going to get any work done." John leaned back on his chair, legs splayed under the table. James shook his head, opting for something older, he slipped Jefferson Airplane's 'Surrealistic Pillow' out of its sleeve.

Coming up behind John's chair, he leaned over so that his lips touched John's ear.

"Work." He said, pointing at his open notebook. When John grumbled, he kissed him on the cheek before pushing away before John could try to kiss him for real. 

He barely resisted John's imminent pout. Just barely. 

 

After they devoured an unholy amount of Indian takeaway, John had pulled James down to lie on the couch, sprawled out with his back against John's front. 

Wiggling around to get comfortable, John tucked his arm around James' stomach, humming in contentment. 

"Stop making that noise." James said, petulantly and John grinned, resting his chin over his shoulder.

"Why?" John purred.

"Because it's very distracting, and I'm trying to watch the movie." James pouted. He was just begging to be teased, John thought. 

"But James." He whined, burying his face in his neck to make him squirm. 

"John." James warned, even though a smile was working its way onto his face. John was so warm pressed up against him, breath puffing against his skin, James was finding it hard to concentrate on anything else. 

"You don't like the noises I make?" John sighed, almost shifting into a moan. It was the sound he made when James sucked bruises into his skin. John knew exactly what he was doing, the shit. 

John's hand rubbed over his stomach, reaching up to the hollow of his throat to deftly start to unbutton his shirt. 

"I specifically remember yesterday, when I was sitting on your cock-" James moaned breathlessly at the reminder. "You were saying how much you loved the sounds I made." 

John loved how quickly James submitted to him. How hard James got for him. Undoing the last button, John pressed his palm to James' hot skin. 

"James." John moaned, sinking his teeth into the join of his neck to his shoulder, bringing a bruise to the surface. James responded eagerly, arching into his touch with bitten off sighs and murmurs of his name. 

"You're so beautiful." John said, in awe. Rolling James' rosy pink nipples between his fingers, John tangled their legs together so that his hard-on was pressed up against James' ass. 

James' eyes closed briefly, spit slick lips parted as he sucked in a shaky breath. John grinned against the skin of his neck, cupping his crotch through his jeans. 

"Jesus." James bucked into the touch. John's head was getting foggy with lust, the sight of James' chest heaving and the feel of his hard-on against his palm, was overwhelming. 

"Yes, James? What the matter? Am I distracting you from your movie?" John teased, dragging his tongue from the base of his throat to the hinge of his jaw. James shivered against him. 

John flicked open the button of his jeans, pulling the zipper down excruciatingly slow. James' chin was tipped down to watch John's hand sneak into his jeans. 

Massaging his cock through the thin material of his boxers, John marvelled at the heat of him under his palm and the minute twitching of his hips. 

James' head tipped back, a tinny moan escaping his lips. 

"James, my dear." John purred into his ear, squeezing the thickness of his cock, making James' legs spasm. "Could you help me?" John pushed down on James' jeans with his free hand. 

James nodded wordlessly, lifting his hips to push his jeans and boxers to the tops of his thighs. John hummed, appreciatively, trailing the tip of one finger up the length of his exposed cock, which bobbed against his stomach. 

John loved James' cock. Curling his fingers around the base, John rubbed his thumb along the vein running underneath his shaft. James was longer that him, thick enough to reach all the right spots inside of him. John smiled, starting up a steady rhythm, hand clenched tight enough to made James squirm back against him. 

"So pretty, Mr Flint." John tongued the shell of his ear, sucking the lobe into the slick heat of his mouth. 

A flush was working its way down James' neck to his chest, sweat beading at his hairline and the dip in his throat. 

On each upwards stroke, John twisted his palm over the slick sensitive head. James was shaking, eyes rolling around in his head, mindless in his pleasure. 

"You don't know how much I want to fuck you right now." John moaned, grinding against the cleft of his ass, panting at the pressure. 

"I think I do." James chuckled, biting his lip as the heat in his stomach flared due to John's relentless strokes. 

Noticing the tightening of his abs and the pauses in between his breaths, John jacked him faster, mesmerised by the angry red head of his cock punching through the tight circle of his fist. 

James was gasping his name, eyes squeezed shut and John wanted to burn this image into his memory forever. 

James shouted, spilling over his fist and onto his own stomach. John moaned at the sight, stroking him through his orgasm until he whimpered from sensitivity and John released him with a grin. 

James melted against him, eyes dropping closed. John looked around for something to wipe his hand with, gasping when James latched his mouth onto his fingers, licking his own come off his skin. 

No, scratch that. John wanted to burn this into his memory. 

At John's struck dumb expression, a satisfied smirk curled James' lips.

"Don't look so smug." John murmured, resting his cheek on James' arm. 

He was still hard, pressed up against James' ass. But that was for later. Now, John just watched James' eyes grow heavy, his smile persistent and beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I think after this chapter I'll do 2 more chapters and then a short epilogue and then that's it! :'( ofc it's not written yet so it may stretch a bit further but yeah, the end is nigh.


	12. Maneater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief drug-induced interlude :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song title - Maneater by Hall & Oates  
> Banger of a song ;)  
> This is pretty much just me having fun with the idea that John and his friend have no boundaries and that's a-okay.  
> And as always, self-indulgent trash that I love.

Taking the steps down to Providence two at a time, James' hand firmly gripped in his, John bounced with excitement.

James eagerly followed, of course. How could he not? He was enslaved by John Silver and the black leather pants that fitted against him like a second skin, coupled with the deep plum shirt that had half the buttons undone to reveal his chest. Not to mention the handful of necklaces glittering against his skin that were decidedly...endearing. And distracting.

John peaked at him over his shoulder, bottom lip between his teeth, for no other reason than to tease and torture him. John was a quick study in the art of seduction.

Who was he kidding? All John had to do was bat his eyelashes at him and he'd drop to his knees happily. At least the feeling was mutual. 

The fact that they had a usual table in Providence, warmed him a bit. It was the same table that James had sat at when he'd first come to Providence all those weeks ago, sequestered and uncomfortable in his skin until John had rolled into his path.

When they reached the rest of the group, everyone greeted them with raucous hellos and a few incoherent yells. By the glasses beginning to pile up on the table, James took a wild swing that they were all tipsy at the very least.

Billy was seated at the head of the small table, grinning broadly, wearing a plastic tiara with the words 'Birthday Girl' written across the front in pink calligraphy. John was already bent over in a fit of laughter, adjusting his crown for him.

 

With tears still in his eyes, John came back from the bar with two tall glasses of pink and purple. At James' questioning eyebrow twitch, John shrugged.

"You can't have a boring old whiskey. It a celebration! Have something fun." John nudged him with his elbow, tongue curling around the straw to suck it into his mouth. James rolled his eyes so hard it hurt, take a cursory sip of what looked like it could contain Windex. 

He was pleasantly surprised that he actually liked the sweetness of it. But he didn't go on about it, John was already smug enough for the both of them.

James pulled him close by the chains around his neck to distract him. He went willingly, sliding his thigh between James' legs, earning him a dirty little smile that flipped his stomach. Up on his toes, John was the perfect height to lean in and kiss his boyfriend. Steadying John with one hand on the small of his back, James threw himself into the kiss, revelling in the way John curved into him, warm and solid.

John's lips and tongue were sweet from the cocktail and James assumed he tasted the same, by the way John was licking into his mouth with fervour. 

"Is it drinks and a show?" Max asked as they unlocked and John shot her a grin, circling his arms around James' hips to keep them pressed together.

"We only do private sessions and you couldn't possibly afford seats." John snarked and he could practically feel James roll his eyes.

"Oh by the way. I brought your birthday present!" John pulled a little plastic zip lock out of his back pocket filled with a dozen little coloured tablets and waved them in Billy's face.

"You're trying to kill me, John Silver." Billy laughed, taking one and swallowing with a sip of his drink. In his lap, Ben did the same.

Eleanor and Max decided to forego for tonight, saying that the hangover would not be worth it, but John begged to differ. Idelle as always, was up for anything.

Finally John turned to James with a raised eyebrow.

"Dearest?" He held up the bag "You don't have to." John quickly added, just in case James had any hesitation.

"I've never done it before is all." James shrugged and John grinned up at him, popping one in his mouth.

"You're going to love it." James let John place one on his tongue, push his jaw shut and seal it with a peck on his lips.  
"It'll be about an hour before you really start feeling anything. Come sit down." 

 

After about forty minutes, James began to feel it in the tips of his fingers, hair raising on his arms. John had his head resting back on James' shoulder, grinning broadly up at him hazily.

James stroked his hands over John's chest unconsciously, tucking under the open collar of his shirt, needing to touch his heated skin. 

Idelle was busy dancing in her seat, eyes glazed, being a happy voyeur to Ben and Billy shoving their tongues down each other's throats. 

"Ben, Billy!" John grabbed onto Ben's wrist, breaking them apart.  
"Come dance with us." 

Finding a space on the dance floor, all four of them ended up in a group dance, teasing smiles and touches causing James' head to feel light. That could also be the chemicals in his system. 

John danced between himself and Billy, arms tucked behind him to clasp onto the back of Billy's neck while James had his hands on John's ass, the butter soft leather of his pants felt amazing. 

"Mr Flint, you look a little dazed." John slurred, licking into his mouth with a hearty moan. 

"Well that won't help." James grinned, making eye contact with Billy behind John. 

"You're not the jealous type are you, James?" Billy's voice rumbled between them and John's eyes glittered. 

"Not really. Why?" James asked, although he already had a feeling he knew, considering how John was pulling Billy closer behind him. 

"Because I'm going to kiss your boyfriend." He grinned, spinning John in his arms and sealing their mouths together. John was dwarfed by Billy. Even on his toes, Billy still had to lean down to kiss him.

James stopped breathing for a second, before a smile spread across his face. Drawing John's hair aside, James latched onto the flushed skin of his neck. 

John shuddered against him, pulling back from Billy with a lustful smile, titling back into James' ministrations with a moan that he felt against his chest, the noise drowned out by the music. 

"Come on James, give the birthday boy a kiss." John giggled, hand clasped over Billy's bicep, drawing him in. 

Normally, sober James would have flushed twenty shades of red at the idea. But James had left sober behind with his coat and shirt sitting on a stool at their table. 

Billy took his grin as acceptance, hooking an arm around his waist to draw him into his space. His hands were huge. Everything about him was so different to John. This wasn't about sexual gratification, he reminded himself. As John had said to him before, it was just a bit of fun.

Billy had to duck his head to kiss him, and James had to tilt his head up, which was new for him. One of Billy's hands threaded through his hair, sliding their lips together. Where John was ferocious eagerness and sensuality, Billy was calm and practiced, but not bad at all he must admit.

Billy only teased with a swipe of his tongue before he released him.  
"I've never kissed a ginger before." Billy laughed and James shoved him off with a snort. 

"Happy birthday then." 

Spinning around to search for John amongst the masses, Billy came back to his side to point to his left, where John was standing with his fingers tangled in Ben's hair, kissing him with obvious tongue, which made James and Billy shake their heads good-naturedly. 

Sneaking up behind their respective partners, James and Billy disentangled the pair.

They were both giggling like crazy, lips flushed red. Ben was easily swept back into Billy's arms. John melted back into James' body, hips swaying and eyes dark.

"You looked like you were having fun." James said, a smile in his voice. John hummed, tossing his curls back over his shoulders.

"Now you and Billy are real friends." John grinned, teeth startling white. 

"I'm not sure that's the basis for most friendships." John was singing along to whatever song was blaring, and although some of the words were off, he powered on. 

Grabbing James by the chin, John brought their foreheads together, heavy breaths puffing between them.

"Those friendships are boring." He mumbled. 

"You guys have got to stop all making out with each other." Idelle stumbled into them, her hair was wild from tossing it around as she'd danced. "You're giving everyone around here massive erections, with your soft-core porn show." She snorted, leaning against James' shoulder.

"Flinty, I'm so glad we became friends. Cause otherwise I wouldn't have met your beautiful boy." Idelle pawed at John's hair. 

"And I wouldn't have met Billy and Ben, who are just the sweetest and Max!" Idelle caught sight of said person, dodging through bodies to latch onto Max, who just laughed. 

"She is never allowed to call me Flinty again." James groused and John cackled, fingers playing along the waistband of his jeans, occasionally dipping a finger underneath to caress the swell of his ass. 

"Can I call you Flinty?" That cheeky grin was back again.

"Absolutely not." John pouted and James was an absolute sucker for him. 

"Mr Flint?" John purred in his ear, causing goosebumps to raise on his arms. 

"That one's okay." James downplayed it and John just raised his eyebrow in response. 

"Pumpkin?"

"No."

"Cuddlebum?" 

"That's sickening." 

"You're no fun." 

 

When James woke the next morning, his head felt like lead, sinking into his pillow. The pillow he was apparently sharing with John, considering the curls in his mouth, sticking to his tongue.

In his sleep, John murmured something about sand crabs, which James did not want to inquire about. 

A sleepy sigh rang out in the quiet room that distinctly had not come from John. Groggily, James pushed himself up onto one shoulder, peering over John's mop of hair to find Billy and Ben crammed in on the other side of the bed, tangled in each other to save room. 

Oh, that's right. All the girls had passed out in John's bed, so they'd squeezed in with Billy and Ben.

James was surprised by how unfazed he was by this. 

Laying back down on their pillow, he watched John's nose wrinkle as he dreamt, his mouth open on a soft breath. James smiled, petting his hair away from his face, cataloguing this moment.

A few strands were snagging in his necklaces still hanging from his neck. Delicately reaching around the back of his head, James began unclasping his chains and cords, holding the warmed metal in his hand. Pulling back with the last delicate chain around his fingers, John's dark eyelashes fluttered open and he smiled.

"You shouldn't undress me when we have bed guests." John murmured, plush lips barely moving as he spoke in a sleep roughed voice. 

"You're basically already undressed." James said, fingering the waistband of his boxers. 

"I wasn't going to sleep in leather pants, James." He rolled his eyes, throwing his arm over James' ribs, drawing circles into his shirt. 

"Does your head hurt as much as mine does?" 

"It hasn't hit me yet. Just wait until I stand up." John's smiled crookedly. 

"Was that a dream or did you actually make me kiss Billy?" James asked and John covered his mouth to quieten his laughter and the juddering of his shoulders. 

"Yes." Billy said from behind. "Although it was very respectable. Unlike John, who almost crawled inside my boyfriend." Ben gave a squawk of laughter at that, slightly muffled against the skin of Billy's throat.

"He has very soft hair, I found that very cute. Don't blame me." John pouted and Billy slapped him on the ass.

"Ow! Fuck's sake Billy, all I did was kiss him, I didn't molest him." James grinned, drawing John into his body and rubbing his cheek where Billy had smacked him.

"Billy, leave him alone." Ben mock-scolded. 

"Oi! Are you having an orgy in there!" Idelle's yelled from the hallway. 

"No, Idelle, Jesus. You've got a bit of a fetish don't you?" Billy yelled back and they could hear her scoff through the door.

"It's not a fetish! I'm not a pervert. It's not my fault you're a group of sizzling man flesh that like to touch each other up. Give a girl a break." And with that she wandered away. 

"Sizzling man flesh?" Ben said, eyebrows scrunched together. With his hair sticking up in all angles, Billy tried and failed to smooth down for him, much to John's amusement.

 

James sat on the edge of John's now vacant bed with a cup of black coffee warming his hands while he watched John dress. 

"Is it really cold out?" John spoke mostly to himself, holding shirts up to his chest. "I feel like I wear too much black." 

"Hey." James said softly, placing his mug down on the beside table. John turned to him with a questioning smile. 

"Come here." James crooked his finger at him, beckoning him closer. John dropped what he was holding and sauntered his way to stand between James' knees. 

"Here?" John asked, biting his lip.

"I can't see your face." James complained, tugging at his thighs until he crumbled into his lap. 

"Oh, I like this." John wriggled around to get more comfortable, holding onto James' shoulders for balance. "You're so cheeky. I'm beginning to think-" 

"I love you." James interrupted and John swallowed the rest of his sentence to stare at James with wide blue eyes. 

"You what?" He gaped. 

"I'm in love with you." James reiterated without any anxiety or hesitation, and John's eyes crinkled with his shining smile. 

"I love you too." John said quietly, biting his lip to quell the pure joy swelling in his chest and bursting out of him. 

"Good." James said, scooping John in his arms and depositing him on the bed to kiss the daylights out of him, because he was in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sort of digging the idea of a foursome with John, James, Billy and Ben. Not for this fic ofc...but you know, it's an idea for sometime in the near future.  
> Yep, I've made up my mind thats going to happen.


	13. Electric Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's graduation!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said that I'd do an epilogue to end this fic. But by the end of this chapter I realised I had nothing else to say, and I felt like it was meant to end here :) 
> 
> Song: Electric Blue - Icehouse

Pressed shirts, ironed slacks and combed back hair. Polished shoes and shining badges pinned to dry-cleaned blazers. 

Every other day of their high school lives, they had never looked like this. But today, they were immaculate. 

Because today was graduation. 

 

Lined up in alphabetical order down the length of the hallway, the students were buzzing with excitement, apprehension and of course, impatience. 

Standing in a group against the senior lockers, John, Dooley and Joji talked about the graduation ceremony. Out of the corner of his eye, John could see Logan casting Muldoon sneaky glances and he worked to hide a smile. 

"Are you guys coming 'round to mine for the party, later?" Although the invitation was aimed at both of them, Logan's eyes strayed mostly to Muldoon, who was pulling at the neck of his shirt as his cheeks flushed under the attention. 

"Yeah, sure." Muldoon spluttered and Logan grinned toothily. 

"Can I bring some friends?" John asked, unfortunately drawing Logan's attention away from Muldoon once again. 

"Yeah, no problem." Logan shrugged.

"Any birds?" Dooley leaned in to add, grinning lecherously. 

"Um, yeah, four of them. But don't try and hit on Max and Anne, alright? Cause they'll get jealous and rip your face off." John chuckled at the confusion on Dooley's face.

"Jealous?" He asked, incredulously. 

"Yeah, Max and Anne are together. And they're very protective of each other. I'll point them out, don't worry." John waved it off. 

"Your friends are lesbians?" Dooley's smile grew and John rolled his eyes. 

"Yes." 

"Awesome." Dooley breathed out.

"If you ask them to make out they will, again, rip your face off." John warned as Muldoon cackled. "But they're lovely people." He assured them. Dooley looked like he couldn't decide if he was turned on or terrified. 

"What about the other two?" Joji asked.

"Well there's Eleanor. Hit on her and you'll have to deal with her boyfriend. Who I have not met, but sounds terrifying. Then there's Idelle, she's only a year older than us."

"What's her deal?" Dooley had perked up. 

"She's gorgeous, no boyfriend. I don't know her type, so I guess go for it?" John shrugged.

"So four girls, is that it?" Logan asked.

"Uhhh, no. There's Billy and Ben and James." Muldoon grinned at him at the mention of James, shoving him lightly.

"Oh, yeah." Logan nodded.

"Great, more guys to compete with." Dooley rolled his eyes and John choked on a laugh.

"Mate, that won't be an issue." He shook his head, endlessly amused. 

"What?" Joji asked, confused.

"Well Billy and Ben are together, and James...well, James is my boyfriend." John waited to gouge their reactions. They all looked surprised, unsurprisingly. A tad uncomfortable, but he'd been expecting that as well. 

"Oh." Logan said, lamely, although something sparked in his eyes. 

"Yeah, there's always some truth to rumours I guess." John shrugged. "This isn't going to be a problem, is it?" 

"Uh-" Logan looked at both Joji and Dooley. "No, not with me. I can't speak for everyone else though. So just, come tell me if anyone's being a dick." 

"Don't worry about us, mate. With Billy around, no one will come near us." John laughed. "He's like two metres tall and fucking jacked." 

"Alright, boys. Head over to the stage, single file." Mr Belle called down the hallway. Logan patted them both on the back as they walked back into line. Before Muldoon could move to the front, John grabbed onto his sleeve. 

"Did you see the looks Logan was giving you?" John smirked as Muldoon got flustered.

"Shut up." He groused, although his small smile contradicted him.

"Muld's gonna gets some lovin. Ask him to give you a tour of his bedroom." He said with an exaggerated wink. 

"You're such a twat." 

 

"We did it, Muld!" John yelled as he jumped on Muldoon's back, forcing a huff out of him as he scrambled to keep them both balanced. 

John piggy-backed on him down to the sports field, where parents were taking pictures and mingling about. Across the way, John spotted his friend, all of them, and he grinned, waving his certificate at them. 

Hopping off of Muldoon, John ran over to his friends, jumping into James' open arms with a giddy bout of laughter. James was laughing as well, giving John a spin before setting him down.

"I fucking did it!" He exclaimed, and everyone cheered, hugging him and congratulating him. 

Stepping back into James' embrace, bubbling over with excitement, John pecked him on the mouth with a cheeky smile. 

"Careful-" James murmured. "Everyone's around." He added, eyeing off the posh parents fussing over their golden children. 

"Who gives two shits, I'm out of there." John grabbed James by the back of the neck and kissed him, as their friends whooped and clapped.

Pulling back, John's eyes were bright.  
"How would you all like to go to a high school party?"

Eleanor scrunched up her face.  
"Hell no." 

"Come on! It'll be funny! And I have to go, cause Muld over there is this close to getting with Logan, and I need to be his wingman." Muldoon, who had sidled up to stand a little bit behind John, rolled his eyes.

"Pack it in." Muld said and John pulled him to his side.

"Oh my god! You haven't met Muld yet! He's knows pretty much everything about you, especially you-" John smirked at James, who blushed. "But everyone, meet Muldoon." 

He gave a small wave and everyone smiled welcomingly, making brief introductions.

"Oh shit, my parents just came out. I gotta go. I'll see you at Logan's, yeah?" Muldoon turned and ran over to his parents, who did not look happy to see John whatsoever. Typical.

John wrapped himself back in James' arms.  
"Please, everyone come. Not for the whole night, I swear! Then we'll just go to our place, get trashed and eat take out." John grinned as everyone acquiesced with feigned reluctance. 

"Yes!" He fist pumped, slotting his mouth over James' and kissing him filthily, uncaring of the students and parents that were just out of spitting distance. He blearily heard Max say his name and felt her tap him on the shoulder. 

Someone cleared their throat behind him and John immediately recognised that noise. He turned around slowly, still closely tucked into James' space, as he glared up at Father Donovan.

His now ex-principal's expression was thunderous, an angry red flush working its way down to the crisp collar of his shirt.

"Mr Silver, five minutes out of high school and you're already ruining your life, as if I expected anything less." His tone was as malicious as ever, soaking in condescension. Although, John didn't expect anything less either.

"I don't know what you mean sir? I've been kissing boys since I was fifteen." John said innocently.  
"But I've been fucking men all term." A blood vessel pulsed at Donovan's temple and behind him he could hear Idelle smothering a shocked giggle into her hand.

"That's it, you and your friends are to leave the premises immediately." Father Donovan yelled, drawing the attention of parents and students close enough to hear him.

John smirked, taking Max's cigarette out of her mouth to sit between his lips.  
"As if I'd want to stay another minute in your hate-spawning prison of a school." John blew a cloud of smoke in his face, sending Father Donovan further over the edge.

They all started to walk towards the gate, but John turned back around, flipping him off with both hands. A few gasps rang out among the parents and a few barely concealed cheers from the students.

"Go fuck yourself, Father." He said lightly, tossing his cigarette into the grass at his feet.

 

Slamming his front door shut behind them, James pushed John up against it as he sucked his tongue into his mouth with a satisfied groan. 

"Yes." John hissed, arching up into the heat of his body as his hands scrambled to find purchase on his shoulders to try and keep his knees from buckling. 

Yanking him away from the door, James walked them to his bedroom, divulging John of his clothes as they went, leaving a trail of them down the hallway in their wake. 

Down to his boxers, John climbed up the bed, watching with blown pupils as James stripped for him. As his freckled skin was revealed to him, inch by inch, John felt his blood rush. 

The bed dipped as James crawled to straddle him, thick thighs bracketing him in and weighing him down. John's fingers ran over the hair of his legs, squeezing his muscles, watching them flex as he shifted. 

James' fingers left tingling trails across his skin, settling against his lips. John smiled against the pads of his fingers, nipping them lightly.

"Is this my graduation present?" John murmured, opening his mouth to let his fingers slip onto his tongue. 

James' breath stuttered, copper strands of hair hanging loosely over the tops of his cheeks. 

"Depends." James answered, belatedly, hips twitching. 

"You made some promises." John reminded him, licking between his fingers down to join. James bit down on his lip and his gaze focused on John fellating his fingers until they were dripping. 

"I did." He retracted his hand. With a slack jaw, John watched eagerly as James reached behind himself with his slick fingers. He resounded James' moan as he breached himself. 

"Oh, Jesus." John said, hands coming up to steady James as he twisting his wrist. 

"Grab the lube." At his behest, John's hand flailed out to paw around the bedside table.

James held out his free hand to grab it from him, but with a dirty little grin, John knocked his hand away to slick up three of his own fingers. James smiled, a flash of teeth in the corner of his mouth, made his look wild. 

James shuffled higher up on his knees to give John room to reach between his legs. 

"How many?" John whispered, and James eyes fluttered. 

"Two." He answered, steadying himself with a hand pressed against John's chest. 

John eagerly worked two fingers up into the tight heat of his body, searching for that spot. 

When he found it, a shudder ran through James' body, that he could feel in his fingers. 

"You're so sexy." John groaned, bringing his other hand up to draw the hair away from James' eyes. James smiled softly down at him, tongue wetting his lips. 

"The views not bad from up here either." James patted John's arm, guiding him to retract from between his legs. At John's questioning expression, James just grinned, tugging down his boxers, freeing him to cool air of the room. John sucked in a breath between his teeth, wriggling the material down and off his legs so James wouldn't try and move off of him to assist. 

In one fluid motion, James swooped down to kiss him, pressing their chests and hips together. John moaned, squirming under James' insistent tongue and the subtle but devastating gyrating of James' pelvis, and the drag of his hot cock against his. 

"John." James begged, and oh, he wanted to hear more of that. Clutching onto his hip, he rubbed his fingers over James' slick hole, soaking up the stuttered moan that it elicited. 

Plunging three fingers back into him, John marvelled at James, tall, muscled, James, pliant under his hands. It was heady. 

James eventually got impatient with just fingers, taking John's wrists in his hands and pinning them above his head. 

John smirked, keeping his hands where they were when James released him.  
"Good boy." James murmured, voice low and gravelly. John's smirk slipped from his face, a shiver going down his spine. 

John watched with wide eyes and slack mouth as James sank down on his cock. Fully seated on John's thighs, James tossed his head back with a shuddering sigh. 

John, on the other hand, was reeling. Buried in the tight, wet heat of his body, John bit down on his lip hard to stop himself from thrusting up. 

"Hey." James said quietly, thumbing John's lip out between his teeth, swiping over the abused flesh. John whimpered, head pushed back into the mattress and hands clutching at the headboard. 

"Move, please." John pleaded, and James smiled, holding himself up so that just the tip of his cock was inside, before slamming down, impaling himself with a moan. John shouted, trembling all over as James fucked himself on his cock. 

"Fuck, James." John was lost, head thrashing side to side as heat rushed over his skin and a cacophony of moans spilled out of him without his knowledge. 

"Yes, come on." James growled, thighs tensing with the thrusts of his hips. John thought for a moment that James was asking him to do something, to fuck him for real. But the determination burning in James' jade eyes spoke differently. Eyes rolling back into his head, John realised that James was waiting, no, ordering him to come inside him. 

"Yes, baby, come on." James murmured, palms flat on John's chest, fingers abusing his peaked nipples until John bucked and shouted through his orgasm. 

James rode him through it, deeply satisfied as John sank back into the covers, eyes half closed and trembling. 

Seated on his softening length, James circled his hips so that he rubbed up against his prostate. John's hand gripped onto his thigh, snaking up to wrap around his straining cock. 

James twitched into the strokes, eyes squeezed shut. John was frantic, pulling his orgasm from him until he was shaking in his lap.

John hummed, a lazily smile stretching his face as James wiped them down. 

"Come back." John made grabby hands at James, who laughed, eyes full of affection as he crawled back into bed. 

Sharing a pillow, they faced each other other, bodies tangled and breaths mingling and they just watched one another drift off.

 

Rolling up to Logan's house that night, Idelle was already waiting for them outside, leaning up against the brick wall. She smiled, kissing them both on the cheek in greeting. 

James took one look at her and had to immediately look away. The top buttons of her blouse were undone, leaving a gaping expance of cleavage that was just obscene. 

"You like?" She did a little twirl, grabbing the attention of two guys heading into the house. 

"I love." John said, draping an arm around her shoulders. "You're going to drive them wild, hun." She positively preened at the endearment, grabbing onto James' hand with a teasing grin.

"James is embarrassed by tits." She stage whispered to John who giggled. 

"No, I'm not." James groused, although his eyes were firmly on Idelle's face, not moving further down than her neck. 

"Woah!" Came a voice from beside them. Billy, Ben, Max and Anne were walking towards them.  
"Idelle I could see your tits from down the street!" Billy called out.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Idelle purred, kissing him on the cheek. 

"Anne! You came!" John said and Max rolled her eyes.

"It took a lot of convincing." Max said, and at Anne's glare, she softened her expression and pecked her on the lips. 

"Are we going in, gang?" Idelle bounced and uh, *cough*, so did other parts of her. 

 

James went to go seek out drinks while everyone settled into the living room, staking their claim on the space. 

When John squished in next to him, legs thrown over his thighs, James thought he might actually enjoy himself. Eleanor showed up soon after, settling into the armchair, content to sit and drink the white whine she'd brought for herself.

Logan, the guy whose house they were apparently in, came over to introduce himself. 

While he was talking to Max, John caught sight of Muldoon walking through the door and frantically waved him over. 

Just as Muldoon came up to stand beside John, Max was boldly asking Logan,

"So Logan, what team do you bat for?" Logan flushed beet red under everyone's interested gaze.

"Um, I guess I'm not sure." He said quietly, conscious of the stream of people filtering around them. John's eyebrow quirked in interest. 

"You could always use a guinea pig to find out?" Ben spoke up, taking a swig of his beer to hide his grin. 

"Muldoon here would be happy to volunteer wouldn't you?" John butted in and both boys smiled shyly at each other, unable to directly meet each others eyes.

John jumped to his feet, putting one hand on each of their shoulders to steer them down the hall where the crowd thinned to nothing. 

"There's a bedroom down here, near your stairs aye?" John asked Logan who stammered out a yes.

"Does it lock from the inside?" 

"Yes." 

"Perfect." John purred, ushering them both inside. They stood a little shocked for a moment, unsure of what to do and John smiled at them as he closed the door.

"Have fun boys. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." And with that he shut the door, waiting for the lock to snick. Before he walked away he heard the distinct sound of someone getting pushed back against the door, rattling its hinges. 

John smirked smugly as re-entered the living room. He settled back in his seat, legs in James' lap.

"Any luck?" Ben asked. 

John chortled "Very lucky." 

 

John had a bowl of crisps in his lap and was feeding them to James, giggling when James nipped at the end of his fingers.

Some people who walked past them gave them varying looks, but one glare from Billy and they scuttled away.

Muldoon wandered back in, looking flushed and red lipped and beaming. 

"Well, well, well." Max said as Muldoon sunk into a chair, still glazed and a little shell-shocked.

"I'm so proud." John said, patting him on the back. "So what happened?" 

"Uh, well he's not straight that's for sure." Muldoon laughed. 

"Did you get his number?" Max asked.

Muldoon pulled out a slip out paper from his pants pocket with a grin. John clapped with one hand against his thigh, the other one occupied with James' hair. 

"Fuck yeah!" 

Logan slipped into the room a few minutes later, two drinks in hand and grinning widely at them all, cheeks pinking. He handed one to Muldoon and cocked his head, silently asking for him to follow, which he did eagerly. 

An our later, Billy and Ben had snuck off somewhere.  
Shocking.  
They couldn't keep their hands and or mouths off of each other for more than ten minutes. Idelle was across the room, mingling with Dooley and his friends, all of their tongues practically hanging out of their mouths as she lured them all in. 

Max and Anne were tipsy, and sleeping leaning against each other on the couch, murmuring quietly to each other.

John was still seated against the arm of the couch, half in James' lap, passing a cigarette between them while they talked to Eleanor who was sitting at their feet. 

A group of boys John didn't know, possibly from a different school, rolled their eyes when they walked past them to head to the kitchen. 

"Who let the fags in?" One of them snickered.

"Who the fuck was that?" Anne sat bolt upright, snarling. The guy just shook his head and didn't say anything.

"Wanker." Anne spat and John flipped him off for good measure. The guy turned around this time, and came back over to them, sneering.

"What the fuck did you say to me?" 

John laughed at him. "She called you a wanker, mate, and rightfully so." 

The guy looked pissed off, just drunk enough to potentially do something really stupid. Just then Billy came back into the room and put his hands on the dickhead's shoulders, gripping tightly.

"Have you got a problem with my friend there?" The guy flipped around, face to Billy's sternum. Billy smirked down at him.

"Well?"

"N-no." He stammered out and Billy slapped him on the shoulder.

"Good lad. Cause if you bother John again, you'll have to deal with me and his boyfriend James there." James waved at him, patronisingly.

The guy just stood there.  
"Run along." John waved his hand in dismissal and the guy fled, mumbling angrily to himself.

"Billy Bones, you're my hero." John giggled and Billy rolled his eyes.

"I leave you for ten minutes and you're starting fights." 

"Where did you go? To find a dark cupboard to make out in and pretend you're fifteen at your first high school party?" John grinned.

"Essentially yes." Ben admitted, taking the cigarette from John's lips.

"Righto, oi Idelle!" John yelled and Idelle pulled back from Dooley, who looked dazed, as if he'd seen heaven itself.  
"You ready to head back to ours?" 

"Yeah, alright, give me a second." She said, clasping Dooley's face in her hands and devouring him, chest pressed tight to his. 

"Good on, Dooley." John murmured, amused.

Pulling back again, Idelle wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and slipped her number into Dooley's front pocket. 

"I miss high school." She said dreamily. 

 

The party continued back at theirs. Billy and James moved the coffee table and pushed the couch back to make room. 

Wine and beers flowed around as they danced in a cluster. As the night wound down, Max stepped up onto coffee table on shaky legs to get everyone's attention. 

"To John." She held up her glass, smiling. 

"To John!" Everyone repeated raucously. John's eyes brimmed with tears, and he tucked his face in James' neck to hide his embarrassment.

James cupped his face to pull him out of his hiding, chuckling affectionately. 

Holding his face gently in his large palms, James catalogued the absence of dark circles under his eyes or tension in his face. There were no bruises or cuts marring his tanned skin. His eyes were crystalline pools of blue, happy and youthful.

He was overwhelmingly beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And tears. I'm so sad to end this story, cause it was so much fun to write. Thank you to everyone who read it, all your kudos and your comments are so lovely.


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